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geographies! 

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CALIFOENIA 


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TARR  AND   McMURRY  GEOGRAPHIES 


SUPPLEMENTARY  VOLUME 


CALIFORNIA 


BY 


HAROLD   W.    FAIRBANKS,  Ph.D. 

AUTHOR  OF  "stories   OF  OUR  MOTHER  EARTH,"   "HOME  GEOGRAPHY 
"  STORIES  OF  ROCKS  AND  MINERALS,"   ETC. 


THE   MACMILLAN   COMPANY 

LONDON;  MACMILLAN  &  CO.,  Ltd. 
1903 

All  rights  reserved 


Copyright,  1903, 
By  the  MACMILLAN  COMPANY. 


Set  up  and  electrotyped  January,  1903. 


NorfajootJ  ^r£2g 

J.  S.  Gushing  &  Co.  —  Berwick  &  Smith 

Norwood  Mau.  U.S.A. 


PREFACE 

The  preparation  of  a  supplementary  geography  of  Cali- 
fornia involves  serious  difficulties.  No  other  state  in  the 
Union  has  such  a  diversity  of  climate,  of  physical  fea- 
tures, and  of  products.  To  furnish  in  one  hundred  pages 
of  text  a  description  of  the  state,  its  life,  and  resources 
which  shall  be  sufficiently  broad  in  scope,  and  not  a  mere 
enumeration  of  facts,  is  no  easy  task.  How  well  the 
author  has  succeeded  must  be  left  to  the  teachers  and 
pupils  to  decide. 

In  accordance  with  the  plan  worked  out  in  the  other 
volumes  of  the  series,  the  geographic  facts  are  treated  in 
a  manner  to  bring  out  as  fully  as  possible  their  causal 
relations.  Facts  which  under  the  older  methods  were 
grouped  together  as  a  mere  series  to  be  memorized,  are 
in  the  supplement  discussed  as  far  as  possible  in  their 
natural  relations.  Through  the  interest  thus  aroused  the 
facts  are  not  only  more  easily  acquired,  but  also  more  apt 
to  be  retained. 

Owing  to  the  marked  differences  in  climate  and  physi- 
ography within  short  distances,  the  control  which  these 
factors  exert  over  products  and  industries  offers  most 
excellent  opportunity  for  practical  study.  To  the  Cali- 
fornia child  geography  should  naturally  become  a  study 
of  the  real  world,  not  of  a  shadowy  book- world. 

221^36 


VI  PREFACE 

It  has  been  thought  best  not  to  insert  review  questions 
at  the  end  of  each  chapter,  partly  because  of  lack  of  space 
and  partly  because  they  are  of  doubtful  value.  In  their 
place  there  are  given  at  the  close  of  the  book  both  a 
topical  summary  and  a  series  of  general  questions,  in- 
tended to  develop  independent  thought  and  to  determine 
whether  or  not  the  statements  of  the  text  have  been 
understood. 

Acknowledgments  are  due  Dr.  McMurry,  one  of  the 
authors  of  this  series,  and  Dr.  F.  B.  Dressier  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  California,  for  helpful  criticisms. 

For  photographs,  acknowledgments  are  due  to  Professor 
Branner  for  the  relief  map,  H.  L.  Jones  for  Fig.  49, 
Spreckels  Sugar  Company  for  Fig.  45,  Professor  Holway 
for  Fig.  27,  Sunset  Photo,  and  Engraving  Company  for 
Fig.  57,  Mr.  Ralph  Arnold  for  Fig.  40,  Mr.  McAdie, 
forecast  official,  S.F.,  for  Fig.  7. 

H.  W.   FAIRBANKS. 
Bbbkelet,  California. 


TABLE   OF   CONTENTS 

PAGB 

Introduction xi 

Physiography  of  the  Cordilleran  Region          ....  xiii 

Physiography  of  California 1 

Relief 1 

Physiographic  Provinces 3 

Origin  of  the  Mountains  and  Valleys  of  California     .        .  5 

Drainage 7 

Movements  of  the  Land        . 10 

The  Islands  and  Submarine  Plateau 13 

Climate 15 

Vegetation  and  Animal  Life 19 

Natural  Resources         . 24 

History  and  Industrial  Development 26 

Discovery 26 

Spanish  Settlement      .......        o        ..  27 

Indians 29 

American  Exploration  and  Conquest 30 

Discovery  of  Gold 32 

Mining 34 

Stock-raising  and  Agriculture 35 

Means  of  Communication 36 

Development  of  Fruit  Industries 37 

The  Sierra  Nevada  Province 38 

Extent  and  History 38 

vii 


vm  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Gold  Mining 40 

Forests  and  Lumbering 43 

Other  Occupations 45 

The  Great  Cafions 47 

The  Former  Glaciers 49 

Water  Supply,  Water  Power,  Recreation 60 

The  Great  Valley  Province 61 

Physiography  and  Climate 61 

Resources 54 

Chief  Cities 65 

Province  of  the  Coast  Ranges 58 

Physiography  and  Climate 58 

Resources 60 

The  City  of  San  Francisco 62 

Suburban  Cities  and  Towns 66 

Tributary  Valleys  and  Cities       .        .        .        .        .        .        .67 

The  Straits  of  Carquinez 68 

The  Northern  Coast 69 

The  Clear  Lake  Region 71 

Monterey  and  Surroundings 71 

The  Valleys  of  the  Southern  Coast  Ranges         ....  72 

Southern  California 74 

Physiography  and  Climate 74 

Resources 79 

Irrigation 81 

Santa  Barbara  and  Vicinity 83 

The  Valley  of  the  Santa  Clara  River 83 

Los  Angeles  and  Vicinity 84 

San  Diego 86 

The  Province  of  the  Klamath  Mountains         ....  87 

Physiography 87 

Natural  Resources 88 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS  IX 

PAGE 

Volcanic  Plateau  Region 89 

Physiography 89 

Resources 91 

The  Great  Basin  Peovince 92 

Physiography  and  Climate 92 

Mining  for  the  Metals 96 

Borax  and  Salt 97 

Agricultural  Resources,  Stock-raising 98 

Character  of  the  Population 98 

Government  and  Education 99 

Topical  Summary 101 

Suggestions 109 

Maps,  Pictures,  and  Books 110 

General  Questions Ill 

Statistics  .         .         .         .         .         .         •         •         •         •         .114 

Geographicai<  Names 118 


INTRODUCTION 

We  study  geography  that  we  may  better  understand 
the  earth  and  our  relation  to  it. 

The  earth  has  a  varied  surface.  The  distribution  and 
character  of  its  features  have  much  to  do  with  the  climate 
of  different  portions.  The  climate  of  any  particular  place 
determines  what  plants  and  animals  shall  live  there.  As 
members  of  the  animal  kingdom  we  are  also  affected  by 
these  things,  although  to  a  less  degree. 

When  we  know  the  physiography  of  a  region,  that  is, 
what  sort  of  climate  it  has,  whether  its  surface  is  made 
up  of  fertile  valleys  or  rugged  mountains,  the  nature  of 
its  rivers,  seacoasts,  etc.,  we  can  tell  pretty  certainly 
what  the  people  of  that  region  are  doing. 

To  make  our  study  of  geography  of  most  value  we 
shall  try  to  discover  the  relation  existing  between  the 
various  facts  concerning  the  earth  and  the  development 
of  the  people  who  live  upon  its  surface.  The  facts  of 
geography  taken  by  themselves  have  little  value  for  us. 
It  is  only  when  we  discover  the  connection  between  these 
facts  that  they  take  on  a  meaning. 

The  portion  of  the  earth  to  which  we  shall  devote  our 
attention  in  the  following  chapters  is  California.  We 
shall  take  up  the  physiographic  features  of  the  state, 
learn    something    about    their   history   and   the   changes 


XU  INTRODUCTION 

which  they  are  going  through,  their  effect  upon  the 
climate,  and  how  they  have  influenced  the  settlement 
and  early  history  of  the  region,  as  well  as  its  later  indus- 
trial development. 

What  California  is  to-day  is  the  result  partly  of  the 
position  and  nature  of  its  mountains,  valleys,  and  the 
character  of  its  coast  line,  and  partly  of  the  energy  and 
intelligence  of  the  people  who  have  settled  it. 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  CORDILLERAN 
REGION 

The  western  half  of  the  United  States  is  largely  a 
region  of  mountains  and  plateaus.  To  this  whole  area 
the  term  Cordilleras  is  often  applied. 

The  Rfljck/  Mountains  lie  upon  the  eastern  border  of 
this  region.  They  consist  of  partly  detached  and  gener- 
ally rugged  mountain  ranges,  extending  from  Mexico 
north  across  the  United  States  into  British  Columbia. 

Near  the  western  border  of  the  Cordilleran  region  there 
is  another  and  parallel  system  of  mountains  fully  as 
rugged  and  elevated  as  the  Rocky  Mountains.  These 
mountains  extend  through  the  states  of  California,  Ore- 
gon, and  Washington.  In  California  they  are  known  as 
the  Sierra  Nevada  range,  in  Oregon  and  Washington  as 
the  Cascade  range. 

Between  the  Rocky  Mountain  system  and  the  Sierra 
Nevada-Cascade  systems  there  is  an  elevated  region  of  . 
great  extent.  The  northern  portion  is  called  the  Columbia 
plateau.  It  is  drained  by  the  Columbia  River,  which,  after 
traversing  the  plateau  in  a  series  of  deep  caiions,  breaks 
through  the  Cascade  range  and  enters  the  ocean.  The 
southern  portion  of  this  interior  region  is  drained  by 
the  Colorado  River  and  is  called  the  Colorado  Plateau . 
The  river   pursues  a  general   southwesterly  course   and 


XIV  PHYSIOGRAPHY 

empties  into  the  Gulf  of  California.  It  has  eroded  in  the 
plateau  one  of  the  most  remarkable  canons  of  the  world. 

Between  the  plateaus  traversed  by  these  two  rivers 
there  is  an  elevated  region  which  receives  so  little  rain- 
fall that  no  drainage  leading  from  it  has  been  established. 
This  area  embraces  nearly  the  whole  of  Nevada  and  large 
portions  of  California  and  Utah.  Owing  to  the  absence 
of  an  outlet  it  is  called  the  Grfiat  Basin.  It  is  traversed 
by  many  north  and  south  mountain  ranges,  which  divide 
its  surface  into  smaller  basins. 

West  of  the  Sierra  Nevada- Cascade  system  there  is  a 
line  of  large  and  well- watered  valleys.  In  California 
there  are  the  Sacramento  and  San.Jjoaq3iinjv;alleys,  known 
altogether  as  the  Great  Valley.  West  of  the  Cascades  in 
Oregon  is  the  Willamette  Valley,  and  in  Washington  the 
valley  which  is  partly  drowned  by  the  waters  of  Puget 
Sound. 

Separating  these  valleys  from  the  ocean  there  is  another 
system  of  mountains  known  in  general  terms  as  the  Coast 
Ranges,  but  having  many  local  names.  ' 


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PHYSIOGRAPHY   OF  CALIFORNIA 

California  is  the  second  largest  state  in  the  Union.  It 
reaches  from  north  to  south  across  nearly  ten  degrees  of 
latitude  and  has  a  coast  line  fully  one  thousand  miles  in 
length.  Within  California  there  are  regions  of  extreme 
moisture  and  of  great  aridity,  of  almost  arctic  cold  and 
tropic  heat.  A  portion  of  its  surface  is  below  the  level  of 
the  ocean,  while  its  mountain  peaks  are  among  the  loftiest 
in  the  Cordilleras.  Consequently  in  studying  California 
we  shall  discover  the  most  marked  contrasts  in  physiog- 
raphy, climate,  and  productions. 

In  order  to  understand,  as  we  ought,  the  social  and 
industrial  development  of  the  state,  we  must  first  study  its 
physical  features,  for  these  have  exerted  a  marked  control 
upon  the  direction  and  wealth  of  this  development. 

Relief.  —  If  we  examine  a  relief  map  of  California 
(Fig.  1),  our  first  impression  is  that,  save  for  one  large 
valley,  it  is  almost  wholly  a  region  of  mountains.  If, 
however,  we  should  travel  over  the  state,  we  would  find 
these  mountains  separated  by  countless  valleys,  some  of 
which  are  many  miles  in  extent.  The  large  valley  so 
prominent  upon  the  map  would  be  found  to  be  hundreds 
of  miles  long,  and  so  broad  and  level  that  we  would  not 
be  far  wrong  in  calling  it  a  plain. 

Another  fact  of  importance  shown  by  the  relief  map  is, 
that  the  mountain  ranges  and  larger  intervening  valleys 
B  ^-   ;  >  >  :i\  ;         .%  ^- 


2  CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 

extend  nearly  parallel  with  the  coast,  that  is,  in  a  north- 
westerly and  southeasterly  direction. 

The  plain-like  valley  reaching  fully  half  the  length  of 
the  state  is  the  Great  Valley  of  California.  It  is  enclosed 
by  two  systems  of  mountains ;  the  Sierra  Nevada  upon 
the  east,  and  the  Coast  Ranges  upon  the  west.  The 
lowest  point  in  the  rim  of  mountains  is  across  the  Coast 
Ranges,  where  the  drainage  of  the  valley  passes  out  to  the 
ocean. 

The  northwestern  portion  of  the  state  appears  as  a  mass 
of  rugged  mountains,  which  are  really  a  continuation  of 
the  Coast  Ranges,  but  are  known  as  the  Klamath  Moun- 
tains. The  relief  map  shows  that  the  northeast  corner  of 
the  state  is  mountainous,  but  not  so  rough.  This  is  the 
volcanic  plateau  region. 

East  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  there  appears  a  series  of  high 
parallel  ranges  belonging  in  the  Great  Basin.  To  the 
southeast  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  is  spread  out  the  vast 
extent  of  the  Moliave  Desert,  which  is  dotted  with  low 
mountain  ranges. 

Upon  the  coast  opposite  the  southern  end  of  the  Great 
Valley,. there  is  a  prominent  cape  known  as  Point  Concep- 
tion. This  marks  a  change  in  direction  of  both  mountains 
and  coast.  From  Point  Conception  a  continuous  moun- 
tain range  extends  easterly  far  into  the  deserts  of  Southern 
California.  East  of  the  junction  of  the  Coast  Ranges 
with  the  Sierra  Nevada,  this  range  becomes  much  higher 
and  more  rugged.  It  is  known  under  the  general  term 
Sierra  Madre. 

Near  the  Mexican  boundary  the  coast  turns  again 
toward  the  south.  The  name  Peninsula  Range  is  given 
to  the  chain  of   mountains  lying  ^  between   the  Colorado 


:\r, 


Fig.  1. 


Relief  Map  of  California,  by  N.  F.  Drake  (Copyrighted). 


Fig.  2. 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA  3 

desert  and  the  ocean  and  extending  south  through  the 
Peninsula  of  Lower  California. 

Physiographic  Provinces.  —  The  topography,  climate, 
and  industries  vary  so  greatly  in  different  portions  of 
California  that  we  can  best  acquire  a  knowledge  of  them 
by  studying  a  portion  of  the  state  at  a  time.  Fortunately 
the  physiography  is  such  that  we  can  divide  the  state  into 
a  number  of  well-defined  districts  or  provinces  (Fig.  2). 

Sierra  Nevada  Province. — This  elevated  tract  comprises 
one  great  range  of  mountains  400  miles  long  and  more 
than  70  miles  wide.  The  mountains  rise  gradually  from 
the  Great  Valley  upon  the  west  to  a  jagged  crest  10,000 
to  14,000  feet  high,  and  then  drop  down  quite  precipi- 
tously to  the  desert  valleys  of  the  Great  Basin.  These 
mountains  are  noted  for  their  scenery,  and  their  extensive 
coniferous  forests,  but  more  particularly  for  their  valuable 
deposits  of  gold,  the  discovery  of  which  led  to  the  rapid 
settlement  of  the  state. 

The  Great  Valley  Province.  —  This  includes  the  largest 
and  most  important  valley  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
It  is  practically  a  vast  plain  400  miles  long  and  50  miles 
wide.  The  northern  arm  is  known  as  the  Sacramento 
Valley,  the  southern  arm  is  called  the  San  Joaquin  Valley. 
The  Sacramento  River  coming  from  the  north  and  the  San 
Joaquin  from  the  south  unite  in  a  region  of  lowlands  and 
marshes,  and,  turning  west,  break  through  the  Coast  Ranges 
and  enter  the  ocean  by  way  of  San  Francisco  Bay. 

The  Great  Valley  is  the  granary  of  the  state.  It  is 
also  noted  for  its  large  production  of  fruits  of  all  kinds. 

The  Province  of  the  Coast  Ranges.  —  The  Coast  Range 
system  includes  all  those  mountains  lying  between  the 
Great  Valley  and  the  ocean.     In  northwestern  California 


4  CALIFOBNIA   SUPPLEMENT 

they  blend  into  the  Klamath  Mountains,  while  upon  the 
south  they  terminate  in  the  San  Emedio  Mountains,  which 
lie  at  the  extreme  southern  end  of  the  Great  Valley. 

Many  large  and  fertile  valleys  lie  among  the  Coast 
Ranges.  They  were  formerly  noted  for  their  productions 
of  stock  and  grain,  but  are  now  largely  given  over  to 
fruit  raising.  Upon  San  Francisco  Bay,  most  admirably 
situated  for  domestic  and  foreign  trade,  is  the  metropolis 
of  the  state. 

Southern  California.  —  The  term  Southern  California  is 
applied  to  all  that  portion  of  the  state  lying  south  of 
Tehachapi  Pass.  The  deserts  of  the  Great  Basin  include 
much  of  this  area,  so  that  for  discussion  in  the  supple- 
ment only  the  coastal  slope  —  that  lying  between  the 
Santa  Ynez,  the  Sierra  Madre,  and  the  Peninsula  ranges 
and  the  ocean  —  will  be  regarded  as  belonging  in  the 
Soutliern  California  province. 

Much  of  this  region  receives  but  a  scanty  rainfall, 
and  thirty  years  ago  had  a  semi-arid  appearance.  The 
mountains  are  high,  and  much  more  rain  falls  upon  them. 
The  water  of  the  streams,  which  are  supplied  from  the 
mountains,  has  been  led  out  in  ditches  over  these  dry 
valleys  and  has  transformed  them  into  veritable  gardens 
where  subtropical  fruits  are  grown  in  abundance. 

Los  Angeles,  situated  in  the  midst  of  this  region,  has 
become  its  metropolis  and  is  the  second  city  of  the  state. 

The  Province  of  the  Klamath  Mountains,  —  This  group 
of  rugged  mountains  is  formed  of  rocks  similar  to  those 
of  the  Sierra  Nevada.  The  highest  peaks  reach  an  eleva- 
tion of  over  nine  thousand  feet,  and  the  whole  region  is 
cut  by  deep  canons.  Physiographically  these  mountains 
form   a   continuation  of   the    Coast   Ranges.     Upon   the 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNTA  5 

northeast  they  are  partially  connected  with  the  Cascade 
Range. 

The  chief  products  of  the  Klamath  Mountains  are  gold, 
copper,  and  lumber. 

The  Volcanic  Plateau  Province.  —  This  province  em- 
braces the  volcanic  region  of  northeastern  California.  It 
has  an  elevation  of  three  thousand  to  five  thousand  feet 
and  is  traversed  by  several  ranges  of  mountains.  The 
province  contains  the  greatest  volcanic  peaks  of  the  state. 
Its  products  are  chiefly  lumber  and  stock. 

The  Great  Basin  Province. — Fully  one-third  of  the 
area  of  California  has  no  drainage  to  the  ocean  and  is, 
consequently,  included  in  the  Great  Basin.  The  western 
boundary  of  the  Great  Basin  is  determined  by  the  crest 
of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  the  Sierra  Madre,  and  Peninsula 
ranges.  While  a  portion  of  this  region  is  plateau-like, 
having  an  elevation  of  four  thousand  or  more  feet,  another 
portion  is  beneath  the  level  of  the  ocean.  Most  of  the 
Great  Basin  is  extremely  arid,  but  its  mountains  and 
deserts  contain  minerals  of  many  kinds. 

Origin  of  the  Mountains  and  Valleys  of 
California 

The  physiographic  features  of  California  have  more 
meaning  if  one  knows  something  of  their  history. 

You  have  learned  from  previous  work  in  geography 
that  the  rocks  exposed  upon  the  surface  of  the  earth  are 
slowly  crumbling,  and  that  the  streams  are  carrying  the 
fragments  away  in  the  form  of  sand  and  clay,  finally  to 
drop  them  in  lake  or  ocean.  Mountains  whose  slopes 
are  steep  are  undergoing  destruction  more  rapidly,  other 


6  CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 

things  being  equal,  than  those  with  gentle  slopes.  There 
will  not  always  be  mountains  where  we  see  them  to-day, 
and  where  we  now  find  rolling  hills  there  once  may  have 
been  high  and  rugged  mountains. 

New  mountains  have  steep  slopes  and  narrow  caiions 
(Fig.  25)  through  which  the  streams  dash  rapidly.  After 
a  long  time  broad  valleys  will  replace  the  caiions,  and 
gentle  slopes  the  precipitous  walls  of  rock  (Fig.  55^. 

The  mountains  of  California  are  due  to  the  combined 
work  of  many  agents.  There  are  examples  here  of  all 
the  different  kinds  of  mountains  which  one  would  see  if 
he  travelled  over  the  whole  world. 

The  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains,  as  well  as  the  ranges  to 
the  east  and  the  high  mountains  of  Southern  California, 
are  portions  of  the  surface  which  were  elevated  as  a  result 
of  the  breaking  of  the  earth's  crust.  Upon  one  side  of 
each  fracture  the  land  was  raised  into  a  range  of  moun- 
tains, upon  the  other  side  it  was  dropped  and  formed  a 
valley.  Such  a  sudden  movement  of  the  earth  we  call  an 
earthquake.  The  direction  of  a  mountain  range  shows 
the  direction  of  the  .break,  and  the  steeper  face  of  each 
range  is  the  one  along  which  the  break  took  place. 

The  Coast  Ranges  were  formed  partly  by  the  method 
described,  and  partly  by  a  folding  of  the  crust.  The 
surface  of  the  earth  behaves  much  as  does  the  skin  of  an 
apple  that  is  drying.  The  shrinking  of  the  apple  wrinkles 
its  skin,  and  the  contracting  of  the  interior  of  the  earth 
as  it  cools  causes  the  crust  to  form  great  wrinkles.  The 
mountains  and  valleys  produced  by  the  two  methods  men- 
tioned are  slowly  changed  by  erosion.  The  water  removes 
the  softest  rock  first.  The  hard  rocks  may  remain  for  a 
long  time  as  mountain  peaks  and  ridges  (Fig.  46). 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA  7 

Other  mountains,  like  those  in  the  northeastern  part  of 
the  state,  were  formed  by  volcanic  action.  The  plateaus 
and  the  great  peaks  resulted  from  the  piling  up  of  melted 
rock,  which  was  forced  up  from  the  interior  of  the  earth 
through  openings  in  the  crust  (Fig.  58). 

The  Great  Valley,  the  larger  valleys  of  the  Coast 
Ranges,  and  those  of  Southern  California  were  formed  by 
a  bending  or  folding  downward  of  the  crust  of  the  earth. 
The  caiions  and  narrow  valleys,  throughout  all  the  moun- 
tains of  the  state,  were  eroded  out  of  solid  rock  largely 
through  the  action  of  running  water. 

The  great  mountain  ranges  of  California  are  much 
younger  than  the  mountains  in  the  eastern  portion  of  the 
United  States.  To  this  fact  is  due  the  grand  and  rugged 
scenery  for  which  the  state  is  noted. 

Drainage 

The  most  important  watershed  of  the  state  is  that 
dividing  the  drainage  of  the  Pacific  Ocean  from  that  of 
the  Great  Basin.  The  dividing  line  is  an  irregular  one,  but 
most  of  it  is  formed  by  the  crests  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  the 
Sierra  Madre,  and  Peninsula  ranges  (Fig.  1). 

The  Sierra  Nevada  Range  forms  a  great  barrier  upon  the 
east  throughout  half  the  length  of  the  state.  It  is  interest- 
ing to  know  that  before  the  geography  of  the  Cordilleran 
region  had  been  fully  explored,  it  was  supposed  that  there 
was  a  large  river  rising  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  flow- 
ing westerly  into  San  Francisco  Bay.  This  river  was^ 
actually  located  upon  the  maps  of  that  time,  although  it 
would  liave  had  to  flow  across  the  Sierra  Nevada  Range. 

The  volcanic  plateau  might  be  thought,  from  its  posi- 
tion, to  be  a  part  of  the  Great  Basin,  but  it  is  not.     The 


8  CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 

portion  of  the  Cascade  Range  extending  into  California 
is  very  low,  and  two  rivers  cross  it  from  the  interior. 
The  northern  one,  the  Klamath,  crosses  both  the  Cas- 
cade Range  and  the  Klamath  Mountains,  passing  through 
the  latter  in  a  deep  canon.  Pitt  River  rises  in  the  broad 
valleys  of  the  plateau  region  in  almost  the  extreme  north- 
eastern corner  of  the  state  and  flows  southwest  to  join  the 
Sacramento. 

Nearly  all  the  valleys  of  the  volcanic  plateau  formerly 
contained  lakes,  but  the  most  of  them  have  dried  up  or 
have  been  drained.  Klamath  Lake  in  southern  Oregon, 
and  Rhett  and  Goose  lakes  in  California,  are  the  largest 
ones  remaining. 

A  study  of  the  drainage  of  California  shows  that  nearly 
all  the  large  streams  are  found  upon  the  coastal  sides  of  the 
mountains.  The  reason  for  this  is,  that  the  crest  of  each 
of  the  main  mountain  systems  is  near  its  eastern  edge,  and 
the  long  westerly  slopes,  facing  the  direction  from  which 
the  storms  come,  receive  most  of  the  precipitation. 

The  streams  entering  the  Great  Valley  from  the  Sierra 
Nevada  Mountains  have  eroded  rugged  caiions.  The 
most  important  ones  in  the  southern  arm  are  the  Kern, 
Kaweah,  Kings,  San  Joaquin,  Merced,  and  Tuolumne. 
Those  uniting  in  the  Sacramento  are  the  American, 
Feather,  and  Pitt  rivers.  The  united  volume  of  all 
these  streams  passes  through  the  strait  of  Carquinez  to 
San  Francisco  Bay. 

Four  streams  of  considerable  size  flow  easterly  from  the 
Sierra  Nevada  Mountains,  and  are  finally  lost  in  the  sinks 
of  the  Great  Basin.  The  Truckee  River,  which  is  the 
most  northern  of  these  streams,  has  its  source  in  Lake 
Tahoe   and  empties   into  Pyramid   Lake,  Nevada.     The 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA  9 

Carson  River,  next  south,  disappears  in  the  shallow  waters 
of  Carson  Lake,  and  the  Walker  River  ends  its  course 
in  Walker  Lake.  The  fourth  of  these  streams  is  Owens 
River,  supplying  Owens  Lake. 

During  the  glacial  period,  there  was  a  greater  rainfall 
in  this  region,  so  that  Pyramid,  Carson,  and  Walker 
lakes  in  Nevada,  and  Honey  Lake  in  California,  though 
now  separated  by  miles  of  desert  sands,  were  then  united 
in  one  great  lake  covering  more  than  eight  thousand 
square  miles.  This  ancient  body  of  water  is  called  Lake 
Lahontan. 

Honey  Lake,  shallow  and  salt,  is  situated  close  under 
the  northern  Sierra  Nevada.  Mono  Lake,  intensely  salt, 
is  situated  farther  south,  close  to  the  teastern  base  of  the 
mountains.  Owens  Lake,  the  largest  of  the  three,  is  also 
salt. 

The  streams  of  the  Coast  Ranges  generally  follow  the 
northwest  and  southeast  valleys,  although  Russian  River 
and  the  Santa  Maria  are  exceptions  to  the  rule.  Owing 
to  the  much  heavier  rainfall  upon  the  northern  coast,  the 
streams  there  carry  much  more  water  through  the  summer 
than  those  farther  south,  whose  channels  are  often  com- 
pletely dry. 

The  important  rivers  of  the  northern  coast  mountains, 
in  addition  to  the  Klamath,  are  Trinity,  Eel,  and  Russian 
rivers.  The  Salinas  River,  emptying  into  Monterey 
Bay,  has  the  largest  watershed  of  any  stream  in  the 
Coast  Ranges,  but  the  volume  of  water  flowing  in  it, 
except  immediately  after  heavy  storms,  is  insignificant. 
The  San  Benito,  the  Santa  Maria,  and  Santa  Ynez  are 
the  other  important  streams  of  the  southern  Coast 
Ranges. 


10  CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 

The  largest  streams  of  Southern  California  are  the  Santa 
Clara,  the  Los  Angeles-Tujunga,  San  Gabriel,  Santa  Ana, 
San  Luis  Rey,  and  San  Diego.  Owing  to  the  long,  dry 
summers  and  the  sandy  floor  of  the  valleys  through  which 
they  pass,  the  lower  portions  of  these  streams  are  nearly 
dry  much  of  the  year.  However,  water  can  be  found  by 
digging  down  in  the  sand  of  the  stream  beds. 

No  stream  of  any  consequence  enters  the  Colorado 
Desert  except  that  known  as  New  River,  which,  during  a 
portion  of  the  year,  is  formed  by  the  overflow  of  the  Colo- 
rado River. 

The  Mohave  Desert  is  dotted  with  many  sinks,  each  of 
which  receives  some  water  from  the  adjoining  mountains 
during  the  wet  season.  The  Mohave  River  is  the  most 
important  of  the  streams.  It  rises  upon  the  northern 
slope  of  the  San  Bernardino  Range,  and  flows  fully  one 
hundred  miles  into  the  Mohave  Desert  before  disappear- 
ing in  the  sands. 

Movements  of  the  Land 

Two  things  have  determined  the  character  of  the  coast 
line  of  California.  One  of  these  is  the  direction  of  the 
adjoining  mountain  ranges  ;  the  other  is  the  recent  move- 
ment of  the  land. 

The  surface  of  the  earth  is  never  wholly  at  rest,  al- 
though it  seems  to  us  to  be  so.  That  it  is  constantly  rising 
or  sinking  is  learned  from  a  study  of  the  ocean  shore.  The 
floor  of  the  ocean  is  much  more  even  than  the  surface  of 
the  land,  because  no  erosion  goes  on  there.  For  this  rea- 
son a  coast  that  has  recently  risen  will  be  apt  to  show  a 
more  regular  line  than  one  which  has  sunken,  for  in  the 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA  11 

latter  case  the  water  would  enter  the  adjoining  valleys 
and  form  bays,  while  the  mountains  bordering  the  valleys 
would  form  headlands. 

The  Coast  Ranges  extend  nearly  parallel  with  the  shores 
of  the  Pacific.  One  who  had  never  seen  California  would 
suppose  from  this  fact  that  there  were  no  bays  extending 
far  into  the  land.  This  might  be  so,  but  for  the  fact  that 
the  land  has  recently  sunken  several  hundred  feet  and  has 
flooded  the  mouths  of  the  rivers. 


Fk;.  :;. 
Looking  across  the  Golden  Gate  from  Fort  Point. 

Only  one  large  river  enters  the  Pacific  from  California. 
At  the  mouth  of  this  stream,  the  San  Joaquin-Sacramento, 
there  is  the  only  large  and  well-protected  harbor  for  a 
distance  of  more  than  one  thousand  miles.  As  the  land 
sank,  the  ocean  flowed  in  through  the  Golden  Gate 
(Fig.  3),  which  was  then,  probably,  the  mouth  of  the 
river,  flooded  the  adjoining  valleys  of  the  Coast  Ranges, 
and  even  reached  across  the  mountains  into  the  Great 
Valley.     No  great   harbor  in  the  world   is   more  finely 


12 


CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 


situated  for  foreign  and  domestic  trade  than  that  of  San 
Francisco. 

The  next  most  important  harbor  of  California  is  that  of 
San  Diego,  in  the  extreme  southern  part  of  the  state. 
This  excellent  and  safe  harbor  is  also  the  result  of  the 
sinking  of  the  land.  Somewhat  similar  to  the  San  Diego 
harbor  is  Humboldt  Bay,  upon  the  northern  coast.  San 
Diego  and  Eureka  will  doubtless  both  increase  in  impor- 
tance because  of  their  harbors. 


^^rn^rn 

^ 

^^^^:^\ 

.^.      ^^RIHhHZ^HHHI^H^H^HHHHI 

h\(i.  4. 

Ocean  terraces  near  Port  Harford.    Lowest  one,  ten  feet;  middle  one,  sixty 
feet ;  upper  one,  one  hundred  feet  above  the  water. 


It  can  be  readily  understood  that  if  the  mountains  ex- 
tended at  right  angles  to  the  coast,  there  would  be  many 
more  bays,  and  the  interior  of  the  state  would  have  a 
somewhat  different  climate.  It  is  interesting  to  think 
how  much  of  the  state  would  be  flooded  if  the  land  should 
sink  five  hundred  feet  more.  Many  large  islands  and 
peninsulas  with  intervening  channels  would  appear  where 
the  Coast  Ranges  are,  and  the  greater  portion  of   the 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA  13 

fertile  fruit  and  agricultural  valleys  of  the  state  would  be 
flooded.  If  such  had  been  the  case,  California  would  have 
been  noted  chiefly  for  its  mineral  products.  It  is  really 
true  that  a  much  greater  flooding  of  the  land  than  this 
took  place  not  very  many  thousand  years  ago,  when  the 
ocean  rose  one  thousand  to  fifteen  hundred  feet  higher 
than  it  is  at  present.  This  is  shown  by  the  old  sea  cliffs 
upon  the  mountain  sides  facing  the  ocean.  At  each  level 
at  which  the  ocean  stood,  the  waves  cut  back  into  the  land 
as  they  are  doing  to-day.  The  terraces  (Fig.  4),  which 
are  so  prominent  along  the  coast,  have  been  portions  of 
the  old  ocean  floor  at  different  times.  The  mesa  upon 
the  coast  of  San  Diego  County,  the  broad  plain  of  Los 
Angeles,  the  plain  of  Santa  Barbara,  and  the  level  lands, 
of  varying  width,  between  the  mountains  and  the  ocean 
nearly  the  whole  length  of  the  state,  are  due  to  the  action 
of  the  ocean  waves  at  some  past  time. 

The  Islands  and  Submarine  Plateau 

The  floor  of  the  ocean  does  not  slope  down  directly 
from  the  shore  to  the  great  depths  of  the  Pacific.  Nearly 
the  whole  length  of  California  there  is  a  submarine 
plateau  over  which  the  water  is  comparatively  shallow. 
Off  northern  California  the  plateau  is  only  ten  miles  wide, 
but  toward  the  southern  part  of  the  state  it  extends  out 
two  hundred  miles.  Outside  of  this  plateau  the  ocean 
deepens  rapidly. 

This  plateau  belongs  to  the  continent  of  North  America 
and  not  to  the  bed  of  the  Pacific.  In  past  times  much 
of  it  was  dry  land,  and  it  may  sometime  be  elevated 
again. 


14 


CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 


The  islands  along  the  coast  rise  from  the  surface  of  the 
plateau.  They  are  exposed  portions  of  submerged  moun- 
tains. The  most  northern  group  of  islands  lies  twenty 
miles  off  shore  nearly  opposite  the  Golden  Gate.  These 
islands  are  small  and  rocky. 


Fig.  5. 

Avalon  —  Sauta  Catalina  Island.    The  harbor  was  formed  by  the  sinking  of 

the  land. 


The  islands  situated  off  the  coast  of  Santa  Barbara  are 
known  as  the  Channel  Islands.  The  most  important  ones 
are  San  Miguel,  Santa  Rosa,  and  Santa  Cruz.  They  belong 
to  a  submerged  mountain  range  once  connected  with  the 
mainland. 

San  Clemente  and  Santa  Catalina  lie  to  the  south,  and 
rise  from  deeper  portions  of  the  plateau.  Santa  Catalina 
has  become  noted  as  a  resort  for  tourists  and  pleasure 
seekers  (Fig.  5). 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA  15 

Climate 

California  extends  so  far  from  north  to  south  that  we 
would  expect  it  to  show  a  great  variation  in  climate. 
When  compared  with  the  Atlantic  coast,  its  northern 
boundary  is  seen  to  be  nearly  in  the  latitude  of  Boston, 
while  its  southern  boundary  is  about  that  of  Savannah, 
Georgia. 

However,  the  variations  in  the  climate  of  California  are 
due  not  so  much  to  its  great  extent  in  latitude  as  to  other 
and  secondary  causes.  Chief  of  these  is  its  nearness  to 
the  Pacific  Ocean,  from  whose  vast  expanse  come  the  evenly 
tempered  westerly  winds.  Other  modifying  causes  of 
importance  are  the  direction  of  the  mountain  ranges  and 
elevation  above  sea  level. 

It  would  be  hard  to  find  another  country  of  equal  size 
with  such  contrasts  in  climate  as  California.  Subtropical 
fruits  grow  here  in  proximity  to  those  of  the  colder, 
temperate  latitudes.  While  the  annual  rainfall  in  the 
northwestern  part  of  the  state  may  reach  eighty  inches, 
in  the  desert  regions  of  the  southeast  it  rarely  exceeds 
three  inches.    (Fig.  6.) 

The  temperature  of  the  Pacific  Ocean  varies  but  little 
throughout  the  year,  and  as  the  prevailing  winds  are  from 
the  ocean,  the  portion  of  the  state  immediately  adjacent 
has  a  remarkably  even  climate.  Frosts  are  not  frequent 
in  winter,  and  in  summer  the  winds  are  always  cool. 
During  the  summer  season  warm  currents  of  air  descend- 
ing upon  the  cool  surface  of  the  ocean  produce  heavy 
banks  of  fog,  which  sweep  inland  (Fig.  7)  through  the 
valleys  sometimes  for  a  distance  of  thirty  miles. 

As  one  leaves  the  coast  and  goes  inland,  the  effect  of  the 


16 


CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 


ocean  winds  is  felt  less,  and  the  extremes  in  temperature 
become  much  greater.  The  mountains  lie  across  the  path 
of  the  ocean  winds,  so  that  the  cooling  effect  of  the  latter 
is  lost  much  quicker  than  it  otherwise  would  be. 

In  the  Great  Valley  the  summers  are  dry  and  hot,  but 
even  there,  nearly  one  hundred  miles  from  the  ocean,  the 
winters  are  so  tempered  that  oranges  can  be  grown  as  far 
north  as  Red  Bluff.  The  Great  Valley  has  no  summer  fog, 
but  during  the  winter  it  is  sometimes  covered  with  fog 
many  days  at  a  time. 


Fjg.  7. 
Ocean  fog  pouring  over  the  hills  into  San  Francisco  bay. 


Altitude  has  a  marked  effect  upon  the  summer  climate 
of  the  coast  region  ;  this  effect  is  opposite  to  that  experi- 
enced in  most  places.  For  instance,  on  Mt.  Tamalpais, 
near  San  Francisco,  at  an  elevation  of  twenty-five  hundred 
feet,  a  warm  summer  climate  exists,  while  the  valleys 
below  are  buried  in  the  cool  fog. 

As  the  higher  mountains  are  ascended,  a  climate  similar 
to  that  of  the  cooler  temperate  regions  is  experienced. 
The  summers  are  very  pleasant  ;   the  winters,  cold  and 


MAP  SHOWING 
DISXRinuXION 

OK 

RAINFALL 

IN 

CALIFORXIA 

I         I       0-10  Inches 


Fig.  6. 


Explanation.  —  It  will  be  seen  from  the  above  map  that  the  annual  pre- 
cipitation is  influenced  by  three  things :  latitude,  elevation,  and  distance  from 
the  coast.    Map  compiled  by  Prof.  E.  W.  Hilgard. 


PHTSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA  17 

snowy.  Near  the  summit  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains 
arctic  conditions  prevail. 

In  the  southern  portion  of  the  Great  Basin  region,  es- 
pecially in  Death  Valley,  the  Mohave  and  Colorado  deserts 
(Fig.  59),  the  summer  heat  is  intense.  These  deserts  are 
so  enclosed  by  mountains  that  the  ocean  winds  do  not 
reach  them,  and  during  the  long  summer  days  the  air 
becomes  heated  as  in  an  oven. 

Winter  is  the  wet  season,  summer  the  dry  season.  In 
the  higher  mountains  the  precipitation  is  mostly  in  the 
form  of  snow,  which  often  falls  to  a  depth  of  fifteen  to 
twenty  feet.     In  the  valleys  it  is  generally  rain. 

The  wet  season  increases  in  length  as  we  go  from  south 
to  north,  until  in  western  Washington  rain  falls  every 
month  in  the  year.  Most  of  the  storms  originate  as 
cyclonic  disturbances  in  the  north  Pacific.  They  pass 
southerly  and  easterly,  encountering  the  land.  As  winter 
approaches,  these  storms,  often  hundreds  of  miles  in  di- 
ameter, extend  farther  and  farther  south,  until  the  coast 
region  as  far  as  Mexico  receives  rain.  Many  of  these 
storms  do  not  extend  farther  south  than  Oregon  or  Wash- 
ington. They  pass  easterly  over  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
and  across  the  northern  states.  Consequently  the  fre- 
quence and  intensity  of  these  storms  decrease  as  we  go 
south  along  the  coast. 

The  storms  are  areas  of  low  pressure,  and  they  move  in  the  direc- 
tion of  least  resistance.  If  there  is  a  stationary  area  of  high  pressure 
over  central  California,  a  storm  coming  in  from  the  Pacific  will 
probably  move  east  through  Oregon  and  Washington.  If  the  area 
of  high  pressure  remains  long  enough,  California  will  have  a  dry 
winter.  If  the  pressure  is  low  over  California,  more  of  the  storms 
will  move  south,  and  a  wet  winter  will  be  experienced.     During  the 


18  CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 

summer  none  of  the  cyclonic  disturbances  reach  California,  and  only 
a  few  of  them  come  in  upon  western  Washington.  Hence  little  or  no 
rain  in  summer. 

Since  the  storms  come  from  the  ocean,  it  is  fortunate 
for  the  productiveness  of  California  that  the  higher 
mountains  lie  near  its  eastern  border,  and  the  lower  ones 
near  the  coast.  The  western  slope  of  the  Coast  Ranges 
receives  more  rain  than  their  eastern  slope.  The  western 
side  of  the  Great  Valley,  because  of  the  presence  of  the 
Coast  Ranges,  is  deficient  in  rainfall,  and  the  southern 
end  is  practically  arid.  The  western  slope  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada  Mountains  has  a  heavy  precipitation,  which  in- 
creases as  we  ascend.  The  crest  of  these  mountains  marks 
a  fairly  abrupt  change.  To  the  east  the  rainfall  is  very 
light,  and  the  Great  Basin  is  relieved  from  utter  barren- 
ness by  the  small  precipitation  upon  the  summits  of  moun- 
tain ranges  which  traverse  it. 

Thunderstorms  are  not  common  in  California,  except  in 
the  mountains  in  the  summer.  In  the  desert  portions  the 
sudden  heavy  rainfall  which  sometimes  breaks  upon  the 
barren  mountains  is  called  a  cloudburst.  The  destruc- 
tiveness  of  these  storms  is  due  to  the  fact  that  there  is 
little  soil  or  vegetation  to  retain  the  water,  so  that  it 
quickly  gathers  in  the  gulches  and  sweeps  down  them 
with  great  force,  bearing  enormous  quantities  of  sand, 
gravel,  and  boulders  out  into  the  desert  valleys.  In  this 
way  are  built  up  the  long  even  waste  slopes  characteristic 
of  the  desert  region. 

During  the  winter  southerly  winds  with  a  falling  ba- 
rometer indicate  the  approach  of  a  storm,  while  north- 
erly winds  follow  the  passage  of  a  storm  toward  the 
east. 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA 


19 


Vegetation  and  Animal  Life, 

The  vegetation  of  a  region  is  more  directly  dependent 
upon  climatic  conditions  than  is  the  animal  life,  for  plants 
cannot  move  from  one  place  to  another.  The  chief  factors 
affecting  it  are  the  amount  and  distribution  of  the  rainfall, 
the  temperature,  and  the  character 
of  the  soil. 

Except  for  the  growths  along  the 
streams  much  of  the  Great  Valley, 
the  desert  regions,  and  the  valleys 
of  Southern  California  are  treeless. 
Following  the  winter  rains  the  foot- 
hills and  valleys  become  covered  with 
a  variety  of  grasses  and  a  profusion 
of  brightly  tinted  flowers.  Even  the 
vast  sandy  tracts  of  the  Mohave  Des- 
ert for  a  short  time  during  favor- 
able years  are  a  veritable  garden  of 
flowers. 

The  most  of  the  desert  regions  con- 
tain such  shrubs  as  the  mesquite  and 
greasewood.  In  the  Colorado  Desert 
there  are  several  species  of  cactus. 
This  plant  is  also  found  in  the  more 
moist  portions  of  Southern  California. 

The  Mohave  Desert  is  remarkable 
for  the  groves  of  yucca  (Fig.  9), 
which  in  places  cover  its  slopes  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach. 
In  a  caiion  upon  the  eastern  slope  of  the  San  Jacinto  Moun- 
tains occurs  the  native  California  date-palm  (Fig.  10). 
Seeds  of  this  palm  were  planted  in  the  mission  gardens,  and 


Fig.  8. 
Spanish  bayonet  in  bloom. 
A  characteristic  plant 
of  semi-arid  slopes. 


20 


CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 


now  it  is  common  as  an  ornamental  tree.  The  valleys  and 
plains  of  the  Great  Basin  and  plateau  region,  where  more 
rain  falls,  are  covered  with  sage-brush  and  some  grasses. 

The  steep  mountain  slopes  of  central  and  southern 
California,  below  the  coniferous  belt,  are  generally  over- 
grown with  shrubs  or  chaparral.  These  consist  chiefly  of 
the  chamiso,  California  lilac,  manzanita,  sage,  and  scrub-oak. 

Portions  of  the  Sacramento  Valley,  the  foot-hills  of  the 
Sierra  Nevada,  and  the  valleys  and   hills   of   the  Coast 


Fig.  9. 
Yucca  forest  in  the  Mohave  Desert. 


Ranges  are  covered  with  groves  of  different  species  of  oak. 
The  white  oak  is  the  most  characteristic  species.  The  live- 
oak  (Fig.  39)  is  also  widely  distributed.  Other  common 
trees  are  the  sycamore,  cotton  wood,  laurel,  and  madrone. 

The  forests  of  California  contain  the  largest  and  greatest 
variety  of  coniferous  trees  found  anywhere  upon  the  earth. 
For  these  trees  to  flourish  a  fairly  abundant  rainfall  is 
necessary,  but  over  most  of  the  state  the  precipitation 
in  the  valleys  is  insufficient.      In  the  southern  portion 


PHYSIOGRAPHY   OF  CALIFORNIA 


21 


the  coniferous  forests  do  not  reach  below  five  thousand 
feet,  but  as  we  go  toward  the  north  the  rainfall  increases, 
and  the  forests  extend   lower   and   lower,  until   in   the 
northwest   coast  counties 
they  occupy  the  lowlands 
along  the  ocean. 

The  yellow  pine,  sugar 
pine,  fir,  spruce,  cedar, 
and  sequoia  are  the  most 
important  of  the  conifer- 
ous trees.  The  most  im- 
portant forest  belt  extends 
along  the  western  slope  of 
the  Sierra  Nevada-Cascade 
Range,  and  is  often  thirty 
miles  in  width.  The  for- 
est belt  may  be  divided 
into  four  parts.  Upon 
the  lower  mountains  and 
foot-hills  are  oaks.  Above 
them  is  the  yellow-pine 
belt,  and  then,  most  im- 
portant of  all,  the  belt 
of  sugar  pine,  fir,  spruce, 
cedar,  and  sequoia  reach- 
ing up  to  nine  thousand  feet.  Above  that  are  the  alpine 
pines  and  junipers  to  eleven  thousand  feet. 

In  the  Coast  Ranges  no  large  bodies  of  coniferous  trees 
are  found  south  of  Santa  Cruz  County.  The  redwood 
(^sequoia  sempervirens)  is  found  from  the  Santa  Lucia  Range 
north  to  the  Oregon  line.  This  tree  reaches  its  greatest 
development  in  Mendocino  and  Humboldt  counties,  where 


Fig.  10. 

The  home  of  the  Washington  Palm,  San 
Jacinto  Mountains. 


22  CALIFORNIA    SUPPLEMENT 

it  forms  magnificent  forests  (Fig.  43).  These  forests 
furnish  a  large  proportion  of  the  lumber  produced  in  the 
state. 

The  sequoias  are  the  most  wonderful  conifers  in  the 
world  and  are  confined  to  California.  There  are  two  spe- 
cies —  the  redwood  and  the  Big  Trees.  The  latter  (^sequoia 
gigantea)  (Fig.  22)  occurs  in  groves  scattered  along  the 
western  slope  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  at  an  elevation  of  six 
to  eight  thousand  feet. 

At  Monterey  there  is  a  grove  of  a  species  of  cypress 
which  occurs  only  in  California.  It  is  quite  commonly 
used  as  an  ornamental  tree  and  for  hedges. 

The  forests  have  suffered  greatly  from  fires  and  the 
careless  work  of  the  lumbermen  and  stockmen.  In  order 
to  preserve  the  trees  from  further  reckless  waste,  and  to 
lessen  the  danger  of  a  decreased  summer  water  supply 
by  the  removal  of  the  vegetation  at  the  sources  of  the 
streams,  certain  large  tracts  in  the  mountains  have  been  set 
aside  by  the  government  as  forest  reserves.  These  reserves 
now  cover  nearly  eleven  thousand  square  miles.  They  are 
located  in  different  portions  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  Moun- 
tains^ Coast  Ranges,  Sierra  Madre,  and  Peninsula  ranges. 

In  addition  to  these  forest  reserves  there  are,  in  the 
Sierra  Nevada  Mountains,^  three  national  parks  :  the 
Yosemite,  General  Grant,  and  Sequoia.  In  these  parks 
not  only  the  vegetation,  but  the  wild  animals,  are  pro- 
tected. Here  they  will  have  a  chance  to  live  unmolested 
and  recover  from  the  inroads  which  have  been  made 
upon  them. 

In  the  Coast  Ranges  it  is  proposed  to  reserve  an  area  of 
redwood  forest  in  Big  Basin,  Santa  Cruz  County,  where 
these  great  trees  may  remain  unharmed. 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA  23 

Climate  has  an  important  influence  upon  the  distribu- 
tion of  animals.  In  ascending  the  high  mountains  we  find 
that  their  cold  summits  are  not  inhabited  by  the  same 
animals  which  live  in  the  valleys.  The  animals  of  the 
desert  regions  are  not  like  those  of  the  cool  and  moist 
coastal  regions.  Each  species  is  adapted  to  the  place  in 
which  it  lives. 

Many  animals  not  existing  in  California  at  the  time  of 
its  settlement  inhabited  its  mountains  and  valleys  at  a 
not  very  remote  time.  Their  bones  have  been  found 
buried  in  the  soil  and  gravels.  There  were  the  elephant, 
mastodon,  camel,  llama,  tapir,  horse,  hog,  buffalo,  lion,  and 
a  rhinoceros-like  animal. 

Many  other  animals  were  abundant  when  the  Spaniards 
came.  Most  important  among  these  were  the  grizzly  and 
black  bear,  the  cougar  or  mountain  lion,  wild  cat,  coyote, 
elk,  deer,  antelope,  and  other  smaller  animals. 

Bear  are  now  found  only  in  the  wildest  parts  of  the 
state.  The  cougar  is  still  seen  in  rocky  and  brushy 
places.  The  wildcat  is  more  common,  while  the  coyote  is 
found  almost  everywhere  through  the  lower  mountains 
and  open  rolling  country.  The  coyote  is  one  of  the  worst 
enemies  of  the  stockmen,  but  nevertheless  it  does  much 
good  in  destroying  other  animal  pests,  such  as  the  jack- 
rabbit  and  ground  squirrel. 

Deer  are  still  found  in  the  mountains,,  but  the  antelope 
and  elk,  which  were  formerly  abundant,  have  disappeared. 
The  most  characteristic  squirrel  of  the  mountains  is  the 
gray  squirrel,  which  inhabits  the  coniferous  forests.  At 
higher  altitudes  are  found  the  badger,  the  marmot,  and  the 
mischievous  little  chipmunk. 

The  birds  native  of  the  state  that  are  the  most  hunted 


24  CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 

for  food  are  the  quail  of  the  foothills  and  valleys,  and  the 
grouse  of  the  timbered  mountains  and  plateau  regions. 

There  are  many  species  of  birds  found  in  California 
that  are  not  known  in  the  Eastern  states.  The  California 
vulture  is  quite  rare.  It  is,  next  to  the  condor,  the  larg- 
est of  the  birds  of  prey.  The  road-runner,  related  to  the 
cuckoo,  is  found  in  the  southern  portion  of  the  state  and 
is  remarkable  for  the  speed  with  which  it  runs  over  the 
ground. 

Eagles,  owls,  woodpeckers,  humming-birds,  and  many 
species  of  song  birds  inhabit  the  state.  Numerous  species 
of  water-birds  pass  across  the  state  in  their  migrations, 
and  some  of  them  winter  here.  The  most  important  are 
the  ducks  and  geese. 

Many  species  of  fish  are  caught  in  the  streams  and 
along  the  coast.  The  most  important  of  these  is  the 
salmon,  which  spends  a  part  of  its  life  in  the  ocean  but 
ascends  the  streams  to  spawn.  One  of  the  most  interest- 
ing water  animals  which  frequent  the  coast  of  California 
is  the  sea-lion,  a  species  of  seal.  It  can  often  be  seen  upon 
the  rocky  islands  close  to  the  shore. 

To  preserve  the  animal  and  bird  life,  laws  have  been 
enacted  limiting  the  time  in  which  they  may  be  killed. 
The  wanton  destruction  of  game  is  wrong,  for  if  persisted 
in  we  shall  lose  many  animals  and  birds  which  are  of 
great  value  and  whose  presence  affords  us  much  pleasure. 

Natural  Resources 

The  resources  of  a  country  which  possesses  little  diver- 
sity in  its  climate  and  physical  features  cannot  be  as  varied 
as  those  of  one  which  has  a  surface  of  mountains  and  val- 
leys exhibiting  marked  contrasts  in  climate. 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA  25 

Those  portions  of  the  earth's  surface  where  large  val- 
leys or  plains  predominate  are  noted  for  their  agricul- 
tural products,  while  those  occupied  by  mountains  furnish 
minerals  of  various  kinds. 

California  is  a  region  both  of  mountains  rich  in  min- 
erals and  of  fertile,  well-watered  valleys.  Almost  every 
kind  of  climate  in  the  United  States,  from  the  extreme 
south  to  the  extreme  north,  can  be  found  in  California. 
As  a  result  of  all  these  facts  it  has  the  greatest  variety  of 
products  of  any  state  in  the  Union. 

In  the  valleys  of  the  central  and  southern  parts  sub- 
tropical fruits,  such  as  oranges,  lemons,  figs,  olives,  and 
raisin  grapes,  flourish.  In  valleys  somewhat  cooler  can  be 
grown  the  apricot,  peach,  prune,  cherry,  pear,  and  grape, 
wliile  the  mountains  produce  excellent  apples.  The  large 
valleys  of  the  state  have  been  devoted  mostly  to  grain, 
while  upon  those  portions  too  rough  for  agriculture,  large 
numbers  of  cattle  and  sheep  are  pastured. 

The  coniferous  forests,  if  properly  cared  for,  can  furnish 
an  almost  limitless  amount  of  lumber. 

The  mountain  regions  supply  minerals,  especially  gold, 
the  discovery  of  which  first  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
world  to  California.  Gold-bearing  quartz  veins  are  found 
in  nearly  all  the  mountainous  portions  of  the  state,  the 
main  exceptions  being  the  volcanic  plateau  region  and 
portions  of  the  Coast  Ranges.  Copper,  silver,  quicksilver, 
lead,  and  other  minerals  are  mined  in  many  places. 

In  recent  years  important  deposits  of  petroleum  have 
been  discovered.  This  will  aid  in  the  development  of 
manufacturing,  for  coal,  which  is  found  so  abundantly 
in  many  of  the  Eastern  states,  occurs  only  in  limited 
quantities  in  California. 


26  CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 

Even  the  deserts  have  been  found  to  be  valuable,  for  in 
the  basins  of  the  ancient  lakes  are  extensive  deposits  of 
borax,  soda,  and  salt. 

Both  hot  and  cold  mineral  springs  are  abundant,  espe- 
cially in  the  Coast  Ranges  north  of  San  Francisco,  and 
are  valuable  because  of  their  medicinal  qualities. 

For  its  mineral  products,  sub-tropical  fruits,  and  agree- 
able climate,  California  has  become  noted  over  the  whole 
world. 

History  and  Industrial  Development 

Discovery.  —  We  cannot  get  a  good  understanding  of 
the  history  of  California  unless  we  know  how  it  has  been 
influenced  by  physiography.  Ever  since  men  have  spread 
from  old  settled  regions  into  new,  or  have  carried  on 
explorations,  the  paths  along  which  they  have  travelled 
have  been  largely  determined  by  the  features  of  the  land 
and  water. 

Knowing  something  of  the  geography  of  North  America, 
of  the  chains  of  rugged  mountains  and  almost  impassable 
deserts  which  shut  off  the  Pacific  coast  from  the  Missis- 
sippi Valley,  we  would  naturally  expect  that  California 
would  be  discovered  and  first  settled  by  the  pathway  of 
the  ocean. 

It  was  a  Spaniard  who  first  sailed  along  its  shores,  for 
Spain  was,  in  the  sixteenth  century,  one  of  the  most  enter- 
prising nations  of  Europe.  Shortly  after  the  conquest  of 
Mexico,  Cortez  extended  his  explorations  along  the  shores 
of  the  Pacific.  In  1535  what  is  now  known  as  Lower 
California  was  discovered.  The  name  California  was 
probably  first  applied  to  this  land.  The  name  is  supposed 
to  have  been  derived  from  a  Spanish  romance,  in  which  it 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA  27 

was  used  for  a  fabulous  island  in  the  Pacific.  Later  the 
designation  California  was  extended  to  all  the  Spanish  pos- 
sessions between  Mexico  and  what  we  now  know  as  Oregon. 

After  the  discovery  of  Lower  California,  stories  came  to 
Cortez  of  great  and  rich  cities  far  to  the  northwest.  An 
expedition  by  sea  proceeded  some  distance  up  the  Colorado 
River,  but  owing  to  the  desert  character  of  the  country 
the  explorers  dared  not  leave  the  river.  In  1542-1543  the 
coast  of  Upper  California  was  visited  by  Cabrillo,  who 
sailed  as  far  north  as  Cape  Mendocino  and  landed  at 
several  points. 

In  1579  the  famous  navigator  Drake,  in  search  of  a 
northern  route  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  visited  the  coast 
of  California  and  spent  several  weeks  in  a  little  bay  which 
is  supposed  to  be  the  one  now  known  as  Drake's  Bay,  a 
few  miles  north  of  the  Golden  Gate.  Although  so  near 
the  great  bay,  Drake  evidently  knew  nothing  of  it.  In 
1602-1603  Sebastian  Vizcaino  sailed  along  the  coast  and 
discovered  San  Diego  and  Monterey  bays.  He  also  sailed 
past  San  Francisco  Bay  without  seeing  it  and  anchored  in 
Drake's  Bay. 

Spanish  Settlement.  —  Then  for  more  than  150  years 
nothing  more  was  heard  of  California.  It  seems  to  have 
been  almost  forgotten.  At  last  the  Spaniards  of  Mexico, 
aroused  to  the  importance  of  the  northern  coast,  sent  out 
several  expeditions.  San  Diego  Bay  was  entered  in  1769, 
and  the  mission  was  founded  shortly  after.  From  San 
Diego  an  expedition  started  northward  overland  to  redis- 
cover Monterey  Bay,  but  owing  to  the  peculiar  physiog- 
raphy of  the  region  they  passed  it  unawares,  and  reached 
and  discovered  the  bay  which  shortly  afterward  was 
named  San  Francisco. 


28 


CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 


The  purpose  of  Spain  in  her  explorations  was  twofold  : 
(1)  to  found  missions  for  the  purpose  of  converting  and 
civilizing  the  Indians,  and  (2)  gradually  to  establish 
colonies  in  the  fertile  valleys.  After  the  founding  of  the 
San  Diego  mission,  others  were  located  at  favorable  points 

along  the  coast 
and  in  the  val- 
leys adjacent  as 
far  north  as 
Sonoma.  Be- 
tween 1769  and 
1823  twenty-one 
missions  were 
founded,  that  at 
Sonoma  being 
the  last. 

As  we  go  over 
the  state  to-day 
and  view  the 
crumbling  ruins 
of  the  picturesque  churches  which  they  erected,  we  can- 
not help  admiring  the  sagacity  of  those  pioneer  mission 
fathers.  Nearly  all  the  missions  have  beautiful  surround- 
ings. They  were  located  where  the  soil  was  rich  and 
the  streams  could  be  led  out  in  ditches  to  irrigate  their 
orchards  and  vineyards.  Later,  towns  grew  up  about 
many  oj  these  missions  and  are  thriving  places  to-day. 
Many  Indians  were  gathered  about  the  missions,  and 
the  latter  soon  grew  rich  and  prosperous.  The  mission 
fathers  gave  comparatively  little  attention  to  agriculture, 
but  the  thousands  of  cattle  and  horses  which  roamed  the 
hills  constituted  their  chief  wealth. 


Fig.  11. 
San  Carlos  Mission,  Carmelo  Valley. 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA 


29 


In  1792  Vancouver  visited  the  coast,  and  four  years 
later  the  first  American  ship  touched  at  Monterey.  In 
1812  the  Russians  established  a  base  of  supplies  upon  the 
coast  north  of  San  Francisco  Bay.  This  post  they  held 
for  nearly  a  third  of  a 
century.  The  place  is 
known    as    Fort    Ross, 


Old  Russian  church  and 
blockhouse  at  Fort 
Ross. 


and  the  Russian 
church  and  old 
blockhouses  are 
still   standing. 


Indians.  —  The  physiographic  features  exerted  a  strong 
influence  upon  the  distribution  of  the  Indians.  They 
were  largely  restrained  by  natural  barriers,  such  as  moun- 
tain ranges  and  deserts,  so  that  in  almost  every  valley  a 
different  language  developed.  Thus  many  tribes  of 
Indians  arose  in  California  differing  in  language  but 
having  many  characteristics  in  common.  They  appear 
to   be   intellectually  inferior    to    the   Indians   who   were 


30 


CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 


found    occupying    the    eastern    portion   of    the    United 
States. 

Near  the  coast  the  Indians  lived  largely  upon  fish  and 
mollusks.      Scattered  along   the    shore    are   many   shell 

heaps  where  they  gathered 
for  their  feasts.  They  used 
implements  of  stone  and  made 
beautiful  baskets  which  were 
woven  so  tightly  that  they 
would  hold  water.  Away 
from  the  coast  the  Indians 
lived  largely  upon  acorns, 
nuts,  and  roots,  and  have 
for  this  reason  been  called 
Diggers.  They  were  not 
able  to  stand  contact  with 
civilization  and  now  are 
nearly  gone. 

American  Exploration  and 
Conquest.  —  During  the  most 
of  the  Spanish  occupation  life 
went  on  quietly  in  California. 
The  climate  was  agreeable, 
and  little  work  was  done, 
the  people  depending  for  their  support  chiefly  upon  the 
increase  of  their  herds.  They  were  free  and  hospitable. 
The  population  increased  slowly  and  at  the  time  of  the  con- 
quest was  less  than  twelve  thousand.  In  1837  the  missions 
were  secularized  and  soon  began  to  fall  into  decay. 

Owing  to  the  fact  that  California  is  shut  off  by  des- 
erts and  mountains  from. the  settlements  in  Mexico  and 
the  eastern  United  States,  its  trade  was  for  a  long  time 


Fig.  13. 
A  Klamath  River  Indian. 

p.  ir .  3wPc  i  .  ..■^  ,  .':t 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA  31 

entirely  by  water.  In  the  early  part  of  the  last  century 
American  trading-ships  touched  at  various  points,  bring- 
ing goods,  and  taking  hides  and  tallow  in  exchange. 
Cattle  formed  the  wealth  of  the  early  Spaniard.  He 
raised  no  more  grain  or  fruit  than  was  used  at  home. 

The  first  party  to  cross  the  Cordilleran  barrier  was 
the  exploring  expedition  under  Captains  Lewis  and  Clark. 
This  was  in  1805.  They  did  not  go  farther  south  than 
the  Columbia  River.  Then  the  daring  and  hardy  trappers 
with  their  headquarters  at  St.  Louis  penetrated  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  and  in  1828  one  party  crossed  the  Sierra 
Nevada  Mountains  into  California.  The  present  eastern 
boundary  of  California  was  not  determined  until  after  it 
became  a  part  of  the  Union.  Mexico  claimed  the  whole  of 
the  Cordilleran  region  as  far  north  as  the  forty-second 
degree  of  latitude. 

The  first  emigrants  from  the  East  came  in  1841,  and 
settled  in  the  vicinity  of  Sutter's  Fort,  an  establishment 
on  the  Sacramento  River  near  the  mouth  of  the  American 
River.  In  1844  Fremont  reached  California  upon  the 
first  of  his  exploring  expeditions.  He  crossed  the  Sierra 
Nevada  Mountains  in  the  heart  of  winter  and  endured 
great  hardship.  Fremont,  because  of  his  important  geo- 
graphical explorations,  has  been  called  the  Pathfinder. 
His  work  added  much  to  our  knowledge  of  the  Cordilleran 
region. 

In  1846  Commodore  Sloat  hauled  down  the  Mexican 
flag  at  Monterey,  the  old  capital  of  the  province,  and  after 
several  skirmishes  in  the  southern  part  of  the  state,  in 
which  General  Kearney,  Commodore  Stockton,  and  Lieu- 
tenant Fremont  took  part,  Mexican  rule  ceased.  Cali- 
fornia was  formally  ceded  in  1848. 


32 


CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 


In  1846  many  parties  of  emigrants  started  across  the 
continent.  They  suffered  greatly ;  nearly  all  the  members 
of  the  Donner  party  perished  in  the  snow,  near  the  lake 
now  called  Donner  (Fig.  14). 

Prior  to  the  conquest  of  California,  a  little  settlement 
called  Yerba  Buena  had  grown  up  close  to  the  water 
upon  the  present  site  of  San  Francisco,  and  in  1847  its 


Fig.  14. 
Donner  Lake  from  Donner  Pass. 


name  was  changed  to  that  of  the  present  city.  The 
peninsula  was  then  desolate  and  forbidding,  covered 
with  brush  and  drifting  sand. 

Discovery  of  Gold.  —  In  1848  came  the  discovery  which 
was  to  revolutionize  the  history  of  the  great  territory  of 
California.  A  man  by  the  name  of  Marshall,  while  erect- 
ing a  mill  for  Sutter,  near  the  site  of  the  present  town  of 
Coloma,  El  Dorado  County,  discovered  particles  of  gold 
in  the  sand  of  the  mill  race.     The  news  reached  the  East 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA 


33 


in  a  few  months,  and  then,  in  1849,  began  the  great  migra- 
tions which  continued  for  a  number  of  years.  There  were 
two  ways  by  which  people  could  reach  California  :  the 
water  route  around  Cape  Horn  or  by  way  of  the  Isthmus 
of  Panama,  and  the  land  route  by  means  of  wagon  trains. 
We  can  now  hardly  imagine  the  dangers  and  difficulties 
that  lay  in  the  way  of  the  early  emigrants  who  crossed 
the  plains.  Usually  in  the  settlement  of  a  new  country 
the  easiest  natural  routes  are  followed.  These  are  the 
waterways.  In  the  rush  to  reach  California,  however, 
men  tried  to  overcome  the  great  obstacles  which  Nature 


Fig.  15. 
Travelling  to  California  in  the  Pioneer  Days. 

had  placed  in  the  way.  Much  of  the  region  to  be  trav- 
ersed was  occupied  by  the  most  desolate  of  deserts,  water- 
ways were  few,  and  mountain  ranges  stretched  unbroken 
across  their  path. 

In  1849  more  than  twenty  thousand  gold-seekers  started 
west  from  the  Missouri  River.  The  caravans  crept  slowly 
along,  drawn  mostly  by  oxen  (Fig.  15).  There  was  constant 
danger  from  the  Indians,  and  of  perishing  from  thirst  in  the 
deserts.  The  desert  sinks  of  the  Humboldt  and  Carson 
rivers  in  Nevada,  and  the  steep  rugged  crest  and  canons 
of  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains  were  the  worst  obstacles. 
Central  California  could  not  be  reached  without  crossing 


34  CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 

the  great  mountain  wall  of  the  Sierra.  One  of  the  routes 
was  by  the  way  of  Truckee  River  and  Donner  Pass 
(Fig.  14).  Others  led  up  the  Carson  River  and  across  the 
crest  to  the  streams  flowing  westward.  As  we  trace  the 
paths  of  the  emigrants  we  can  hardly  believe  that  they  took 
wagons  through  these  rugged  caiions.  Some  of  the  emi- 
grants entered  California  by  skirting  the  southern  Sierra 
Nevada,  but  often  suffered  greatly  in  the  deserts.  The 
experiences  of  one  party  gave  rise  to  the  name  of  the 
great  sink  called  Death  Valley.  Other  emigrants  came 
into  northeastern  California  over  what  has  been  called 
the  Lassen  trail.  Peter  Lassen  was  the  pioneer  on  this 
route,  and  Lassen  Peak  was  named  after  him. 

The  population  of  California  increased  at  a  rapid  rate, 
and  at  the  close  of  1849  there  were  nearly  one  hundred 
thousand  inhabitants.  It  is  estimated  that  forty  millions 
in  gold  were  taken  out  in  that  year.  In  1850  California 
was  admitted  as  a  state  of  the  Union. 

Mining.  —  For  a  long  time  every  one  who  could  went  to 
the  mines.  Visions  of  gold  were  in  all  minds.  Provisions 
of  every  kind  became  very  high.  At  first  very  simple 
methods  were  used  in  mining  :  a  pick  and  shovel,  and  pan 
in  which  to  wash  the  gold  were  the  only  tools.  Then  the 
rocker  was  invented  (Fig.  16).  After  a  time,  as  the  shallow 
stream  gravels  were  worked  over,  men  began  to  explore 
the  deep  gravels  of  the  ancient  streams,  and  hunt  for  the 
source  of  the  gold  in  the  numerous  quartz  veins  which 
dotted  the  mountain  sides.  This  led  to  the  discovery  of 
the  Mother  Lode,  one  of  the  most  important  series  of  gold- 
bearing  quartz  veins  known  in  the  world. 

The  mining  of  the  old  river  channels  required  much 
water,  and  companies  were  formed  to  work  them.     These 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA 


35 


gravels  proved  to  be  very  rich,  but  so  much  debris  was 
washed  into  the  streams  that  the  bottom  lands  along 
,many  of  them  were  flooded  and  ruined.  As  a  result  of 
this,  hydraulic  mining  is  now  carried  on  in  the  drainage 


Vie.  Iti. 
Chinaman  washing  out  gold  with  a  rocker. 

basin  of  the  Sacramento  much  less  extensively.  Quartz 
mining  has  gone  on  increasing,  and  throughout  many  of 
the  mountainous  regions  of  the  state  there  can  now  be 
heard  the  stamp  of  the  mills  pounding  out  the  gold. 
Some  of  the  mines  are  more  than  two  thousand  feet  deep. 
Stock  Raising  and  Agriculture.  —  Agricultural  pursuits 
were  neglected  for  a  long  time  after  the  discovery  of  gold. 
It  was  supposed  that  much  of  the  central  and  southern 
portion  of  the  state  was  too  dry  to  grow  crops,  and  conse- 
quently stock-raising  continued  to  be  the  leading  industry. 
Sheep  were  added  to  the  stock  of  the  native  Californians 
and  soon  were  grazing  in  countless  numbers  upon  the 
public  lands.     After  a  time  it  was  realized  that  the  sheep 


36  CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 

were  killing  out  the  grasses  and  other  vegetation  which 
retain  the  soil  and  moisture  upon  the  mountain  slopes. 
By  the  establishment  of  the  forest  reserves  and  the  in-, 
crease  of  settlers  the  ranges  for  stock  have  been  limited, 
and  now  this  industry  has  greatly  declined. 

It  gradually  became  known  that  grain  could  be  grown, 
in  years  of  average  rainfall,  in  many  of  the  valleys  where 
it  had  been  thought  that  the  land  was  useful  only  for 
pasturage  ;  and  so  California  took  its  place  as  one  of  the 
important  grain-producing  states. 

Wool  and  hides  and  grain  could  be  shipped  to  market 
by  water,  so  that  there  was  no  limit  to  the  amount  of 
these  things  which  might  be  profitably  produced,  but 
large  fruit  orchards  would  not  pay  without  quicker  means 
of  transportation. 

Means  of  Communication.  —  The  overland  stage  made 
the  distance  from  the  Missouri  River  in  twenty-one  days, 
but  as  population  and  business  increased,  better  mail  facili- 
ties became  a  necessity,  and  the  pony  express  was  started. 
The  route  followed  the  main  emigrant  trail  from  Sacra- 
mento, across  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains  and  the 
deserts,  to  Salt  Lake  City,  and  thence  to  St.  Louis.  Under 
incredible  dangers  and  hardships  the  mail  was  carried  this 
distance  in  eleven  days. 

The  state  continued  to  grow  so  rapidly  that  these  prim- 
itive means  of  communication  with  the  East  would  not 
suffice.  Railways  must  be  built.  The  first  one  was  con- 
structed in  1854,  between  Sacramento  and  Folsom.  In 
the  decade  beginning  with  1850,  the  government  organ- 
ized the  Pacific  Railroad  survey  for  the  purpose  of  de- 
termining the  most  practicable  route  for  a  railroad.  The 
difficulties  in  the  way  were  great,  but  at  last  the  Central 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA  37 

Pacific  company  was  organized,  and  in  1867,  in  connection 
with  the  Union  Pacific,  a  transcontinental  line  was  opened. 
Later  other  railroads  entered  the  southern  part  of  the 
state  by  way  of  Arizona  and  New  Mexico. 

Development  of  Fruit  Industries.  —  The  mission  gardens, 
where  oranges,  lemons,  figs,  grapes,  olives,  and  other  fruits 
had  long  been  grown,  showed  what  the  land  would  produce 
when  properly  cared  for.  The  era  of  great  ranches,  where 
only  cattle  and  grain  are  produced,  is  slowly  passing  away, 
and,  with  the  understanding  of  what  may  be  done  by  irri- 
gation, there  has  come  the  era  of  small  ranches  and  fruit 
growing.  The  supposedly  desert  valleys  of  Southern 
California  have  been  found  to  be  very  productive  when 
irrigated,  and  the  climate  is  particularly  adapted  to  sub- 
tropical fruits.  Its  orange  groves  have  made  Southern 
California  celebrated  the  world  over.  Oranges  have  also 
been  found  to  do  well  nearly  the  whole  length  of  the  Great 
Valley.  In  the  valleys  which  are  rather  too  cool  for 
oranges,  there  are  now  thousands  of  acres  given  over  to 
growing  prunes,  apricots,  peaches,  pears,  and  apples. 

In  addition  to  its  subtropical  fruits  Southern  California 
has  become  noted  for  its  mild  and  healthful  climate,  and 
thousands  have  been  drawn  there  for  this  reason.  The 
ancient  pueblo  of  Los  Angeles,  whose  location  was  so 
wisely  chosen,  has  become  a  large  city  in  the  centre  of 
the  garden  spot  of  Southern  California. 

The  exceptionally  favorable  conditions  for  the  develop- 
ment of  a  great  commercial  centre  upon  San  Francisco 
Bay  have  resulted  in  the  present  city,  which  has  a  popula- 
tion of  more  than  a  third  of  a  million.  Through  the 
opening  of  trade  with  the  nations  of  the  Pacific,  it  is  des- 
tined to  become  one  of  the  largest  cities  of  the  world. 


38  CALIFORNIA    SUPPLEMENT 

Manufacturing  has  been  of  slow  growth  upon  the 
Pacific  coast,  because  of  the  high  price  of  fuel  and  labor. 
The  discovery  of  extensive  deposits  of  petroleum  must 
make  up  in  great  part  for  the  lack  of  coal,  and  rapidly 
lead  to  the  development  of  manufacturing. 

The  conditions  under  which  California  was  settled 
drew  here  an  exceptional  population,  and  it  was  not  long 
before  an  excellent  school  system  was  established.  With 
schools  scattered  everywhere  through  the  state,  and  two 
great  universities,  the  culture  of  California  should  keep 
pace  with  its  material  prosperity. 

The  Siekra  Nevada  Province 

Extent  and  History.  —  The  Sierra  Nevada  is  the  most 
important  mountain  range  of  California.  It  excels  every 
other  in  the  Union  in  the  extent,  regularity,  and  rugged- 
ness  of  its  features. 

From  Tehachapi,  at  the  southern  end  of  the  Great 
Valley,  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains  extend  400  miles  in 
a  northerly  direction  nearly  to  Lassen  Peak,  with  an 
average  width  of  70  miles.  The  highest  portion  of  the 
range  lies  very  near  its  eastern  edge,  and  for  200  miles  this 
crest  is  seldom  lower  than  11,000  feet.  Scores  of  peaks 
reach  an  elevation  of  about  14,000  feet,  and  Mount  Whit- 
ney rises  to  14^522  feet.  This  is  the  highest  peak  in  the 
United  States  outside  of  Alaska,  with  the  possible  excep- 
tion of  Mount  Rainier  (original  Indian  name  Tacoma). 

The  important  physiographic  features  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada  can  be  easily  understood  if  we  picture  this  range 
as  a  great  block  of  the  earth's  crust,  which  has  been 
pushed   up   along   its   eastern   edge.      This   is   why  the 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA  39 

eastern  slope  is  short  and  very  steep,  and  the  western  one 
nearly  seventy  miles  long  and  quite  gentle. 

The  region  now  occupied  by  these  mountains  formed  a 
part  of  the  bed  of  an  ancient  ocean  long  after  land 
appeared  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  United  States, 
and  even  after  there  were  mountains  in  the  region  of  the 
Coast  Ranges.  There  were  many  long  periods  of  volcanic 
action  in  the  Sierra  region,  but  at  last  it  was  lifted  to  form 
permanent  dry  land.  Then,  after  a  time,  through  the  many 
fissures  in  the  rocks  streams  of  mineral  waters  began  to 
flow.  These  waters  came  from  far  down  in  the  earth  where 
it  was  very  warm  and  brought,  in  solution,  the  silica  which 
was  to  form  the  thousands  of  quartz  veins.  These  waters 
also  carried  little  particles  of  gold  and  other  minerals, 
which  were  deposited  with  the  quartz. 

Long  ago  streams  flowed  down  the  western  slope  of  the 
Sierra  Nevada  Mountains,  as  they  do  now,  carrying  away 
the  fragments  of  waste  as  the  rocks  slowly  crumbled. 
The  quartz  veins,  as  they  were  exposed  upon  the  surface, 
also  crumbled,  and  the  particles  of  gold  contained  in 
them,  being  so  much  heavier  than  the  fragments  of  rock, 
were  not  carried  far,  but  were  gathered  at  the  bottom  of 
the  gravel  along  the  bed-rock. 

Finally,  after  thousands  of  feet  of  rock  had  been  carried 
away,  these  ancient  mountains  were  so  nearly  worn  down 
that  the  streams  flowed  slowly  in  broad  channels,  filled 
often  hundreds  of  feet  deep  with  gravel.  Then  volcanic 
action  commenced  again  along  the  summit  of  these  old 
mountains,  and  streams  of  lava  flowed  down  the  river 
beds  and  deeply  buried  the  gold-bearing  gravels  (Fig.  18). 
After  this  the  mountains  were  elevated  again  along  their 
eastern  edge  and  tilted  toward  the  west.     This  made  the 


4(X  CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 

streams  run  swiftly,  and  they  began  to  work,  excavating 
new  channels.  In  this  manner  were  formed  the  great 
canons,  two  to  three  thousand  feet  deep,  which  trav- 
erse Jfie  slopes  of  the  mountains  at  the  present  time. 
These  canons  were  eroded  in  many  places  across  the 
channels  of  the  old  streams,  and  their  gold-bearing  gravels 
were  left  exposed. 

Now  the  scenery  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains  is 
very  grand.  The  streams  which  rise  in  beautiful  lakes, 
whose  basins  were  formed  by  the  glaciers,  dash  and  tumble 
through  the  caiions,  and  finally  issue  quietly  upon  the 
slopes  of  the  Great  Valley,  where  they  are  gladly  utilized 
in  irrigation. 

Gold  Mining.  —  The  discovery  of  gold  first  led  to  the 
settlement  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains.  From  the 
lower  foot-hills  up  to  an  elevation  of  five  thousand  feet 
there  are  many  little  towns  which  depend  chiefly  upon 
mining.  While  gold  is  the  most  important  mineral,  there 
are  also  found  copper,  silver,  and  iron.  Quarries  of 
granite  have  been  opened,  and  at  some  points  beautiful 
marble  is  found. 

The  first  mining  was  in  the  gold-bearing  gravels  of  the 
present  streams.  This  is  called  placer  mining.  The  pan 
was  the  first  implement  used  to  separate  the  gold.  Then 
the  rocker  was  invented,  and  after  that  the  sluice.  The 
latter  is  a  long,  narrow  box,  made  of  boards,  through  which  a 
stream  of  water  is  allowed  to  run.  The  gravel  is  shovelled 
into  the  sluice,  and  the  gold,  being  heavy,  settles  to  the 
bottom  and  is  caught  by  little  crosspieces.  The  largest 
nugget  was  found  at  Carson  Hill.  It  weighed  195  pounds 
and  was  worth  $48,534. 

The  mining  of  the  deep  gravels  of  the  ancient  rivers 


k       u^^ 

--    ^J 

K 

VL 

I                  .1M?V. 

u  Ifl 

K^  '^ 

\ 

,r^ 

'\« 

i  \    '•.**) 

\ 

J 

Ky^i 

vr' 

,--' 

e<Sal 

^r' 

\^i      ft 

^  V 

\    \^^^^-'1 

\\ 

•V:- 

^ 

\        I               1 

V  \ 

•/•  /• 

\    » 

f»y** 

\ 

I 

\^ 

MAP  SBOWIMO 

DISTRIBCmON 

OF  THK 

CHIEF  MINERALS 

OF 

CALIFORNIA 


Petroleum  &  Bituminous  Rock 
+     Quicksilver 
•     Gold 


Fig.  18. 

Sketch  showing  the  relation  of  the  present  canons  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  Moun- 
tains to  the  lava-capped  heds  of  the  ancient  streams. 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA 


41 


is  called  hydraulic  mining,  and  the  methods  employed  are 
different  from  those  of  placer  mining.  The  gravels  were 
sometimes  reached  by  tunnels,  but  more  often  water  was 
brought  in  long  ditches  and  stored  in  reservoirs  above  the 
mines.  From  these  it  was  conducted  down  in  iron  pipes,  so 
that  it  acquired  a  great  force.  When  the  water  issued  from 
the  nozzle  of  the  monitor,  it  could  tear  down  banks  of  gravel 
one  hundred  feet  high,  and  wash  great  boulders  around  as 
though  they  were  little  pebbles.  The  gravels  were  washed 
through  sluices,  and  the  gold  was  collected  as  in  placer 
mining.  Quicksilver  is  often  placed  in  the  sluices  because 
it  has  an  attraction  for  gold  and  will  catch  the  fine  particles. 
Quartz  mining  has  to  do  with  getting  gold  from  its 
original  home  in  veins  of  quartz.  Long,  narrow  veins  of 
quartz  are  very  abundant  throughout  the  mountains. 
Some  of  them 
reach  a  thickness 
of  ten  to  twenty 
feet,  and  extend 
down  thousands 
of  feet  througli 
the  rocks.  Shafts 
are  sunk  upon 
such  veins  as  con- 
tain enough  gold 
to  pay  for  min- 
ing, and  from 
the  shafts  tun- 
nels are  extended 

along  the  vein  to  take  out  the  quartz  (Fig.  19).  The  ore, 
after  being  hoisted  up  the  shaft  (Fig.  20),  is  taken  to  the 
mill  and  fed  under  heavy  iron  stamps.     The  stamps  crush 


Fig.  19. 
Miners  at  work  underground. 


42 


CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 


Fig.  20. 

At  the  mouth  of  a  shaft,  showing  a  skip  for 

bringing  up  the  ore. 


ore  is  crushed  the  pyrite  is 
called  a  concentrator.     It  is 
and,  after  being  roasted  and 
treated  to  several  other  pro- 
cesses, the  gold  is  recovered 
bright  and  pure. 

The  Mother  Lode  em- 
braces the  most  important 
series  of  gold-bearing  quartz 
veins  (Fig.  21)  known  in  the 
world.  An  almost  continu- 
ous series  of  mining  claims 
is  located  upon  it  for  more 
than  one  hundred  miles.  The 
towns  of  Mariposa,  Coulter- 
ville,  Jamestown,  Angels 
Camp,  San  Andreas,  Jack- 
son, Sutter  Creek,  Plymouth, 


the  quartz  and  set 
the  gold  free.  The 
little  particles  of  yel- 
low metal  are  washed 
on  to  copper  plates 
covered  with  quick- 
silver and  are  there 
caught. 

Often  the  gold  oc- 
curs in  iron  pyrite, 
which  is  a  pale  yel- 
low mineral  scat- 
tered through  the 
quartz.  After  the 
collected  upon  a  machine 
then  taken  to  a  furnace. 


Fig.  21. 

Quartz  vein  near  Coulterville. 
portion  of  the  Mother  Lode. 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA 


43 


and  Placerville  grew  up  near  the  Mother  Lode  in  the  early- 
days  of  placer  mining,  but  now  they  are  mainly  supported 
by  quartz  mining.     But  the  gold  belt  is  not  confined  to 
what  is  usually  termed  the 
Mother  Lode.     A  group  of 
important  mines  is  located 
in    the    vicinity    of    Grass 
Valley.      Farther  north  are 
the    old    mining   towns    of 
Downieville,   Oroville,    and 
Quincy. 

The  most  important  hy- 
draulic mines  of  the  Sierra 
province  are  found  in  Cala- 
veras, Eldorado,  Stanislaus, 
Placer,  Nevada,  Yuba,  and 
Plumas  counties.  In  the 
pioneer  days  the  population 
of  the  gold  belt  was  much 
greater  than  now.  As  the 
placer  mines  became  worked 
out  the  population  drifted 
away,  but  at  the  present 
time  it  is  again  increasing. 

Forests  and  Lumbering.  — 
The  forests  are  divided  into 
different  belts  (p.  21).  The 
one  in  which  the  sugar  pine, 
fir,  spruce,  and  Sequoia  pre- 
dominate is  the  most  remark- 
able. No  other  coniferous  forests  in  the  world  are  equal 
to  those  covering  the  western  slope  of  the  Sierra  Nevada 


Fig.  22. 

The  Grizzly  Giant.    Mariposa  grove 
of  Big  Trees. 


44 


CALIFORNIA    SUPPLEMENT 


and  Cascade  ranges.  Many  of  the  trees  attain  a  height  of 
250  feet,  with  smooth  trunks  for  more  than  100  feet. 
The  "  Big  Trees  "  and  the  redwood  of  the  Coast  Ranges 
represent  the  only  surviving  species  of  a  once  widely  dis- 
tributed genus.  The  Big  Trees  are  scattered  in  groves 
along  the  Sierra  Nevada,  at  an  elevation  of  6000-8000 
feet,  for  a  distance  of  250  miles.  This  tree  reaches  a 
height  of  over  300  feet,  with  a  thickness  at  the  base  of  30 


Fig.  23. 
The  timbering  in  a  mine. 

feet.  Some  of  these  trees  are  thought  to  be  over  4000 
years  old  (Fig.  22). 

For  years  these  noble  forests  have  been  wasted  through 
the  careless  methods  of  the  lumbermen.  A  portion  of  the 
area  covered  by  the  Big  Trees  is  now  included  within  the 
national  and  state  parks. 

The  lumber  interests  of  the  state  are  important,  but  our 
Big  Trees,  the  last  of  an  ancient  race,  and  the  wonder  of 
all  who  see  them,  should  be  preserved.  Where  the  lum- 
bering of    other  forest  trees  is  carried  on,  it  should  be 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFOBNIA  45 

under  intelligent  supervision.  The  forests  of  California 
were  originally  extensive,  but  care  is  needed,  or  between 
the  fires  and  the  lumbermen,  it  will  be  only  a  few  years 
till  they  are  exhausted. 

The  lumber  of  the  Sierra  forests  is  in  demand,  not  only 
for  building  purposes,  but  for  use  in  the  mines,  where 
thousands  of  logs  are  used  annually  (Fig.  23).  Lumber- 
ing in  the  Sierra  is  carried  on  in  an  interesting  manner. 
The  logs  cannot  be  sent  down  the  streams  in  most  places, 
nor  is  it  profitable  to  haul  the  lumber  to  market  upon 
wagons.  Consequently  V-shaped  flumes  of  plank  are 
constructed,  which  wind  around  the  mountains,  upon  a 
uniform  grade,  until  they  reach  the  Great  Valley.  The 
mills  are  located  in  the  forests  at  the  head  of  the  flume, 
and  the  lumber,  as  fast  as  it  is  sawed,  is  thrown  into  the 
flume  and  borne  by  the  water  down  to  the  valley. 

Other  Occupations.  —  Ever  since  stock-raising  became  an 
important  industry  in  the  state,  cattle  and  sheep  have  been 
pastured  in  the  mountain  valleys.  The  cattle  are  driven 
up  to  their  ranges  in  the  larger  valleys  and  left  until  fall, 
when  they  are  taken  back  to  the  Great  Valley.  In  the 
elevated  valleys  of  the  northern  Sierra  Nevada,  dairying 
has  long  been  an  important  industry.  The  meadows  are 
green  all  summer  and,  with  the  cool  air  and  pure  water, 
afford  conditions  for  making  the  best  butter.  The  only 
difficulty  lies  in  the  fact  that  these  valleys  are  a  long  dis- 
tance from  market.  Because  of  this,  much  of  the  butter 
is  pickled,  that  is,  placed  in  brine,  so  that  it  will  keep  until 
fall  and  winter. 

Sheep,  in  immense  numbers,  have  been  pastured  upon 
the  public  domain  in  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains.  The 
herder  starts  out  in  the  spring  from  one  of  the  lower 


46 


CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 


valleys  with  his  flock  of  one  to  two  thousand  sheep,  sev- 
eral dogs,  and  pack-animals,  and  works  his  way  slowly 
up  the  mountains  as  summer  comes  on.  With  the  melting 
of  the  snows  in  the  upper  valleys  he  reaches,  in  late  sum- 
mer, the  most  remote  and  rugged  portions  of  the  moun- 
tains, where,  under  the  almost  perpetual  snowbanks,  the 
sheep  find  nutritious  grasses.  As  fall  approaches,  he 
leaves  these  high  mountain  valleys  and  returns  to  the  stub- 
ble fields  of  the  Great  Valley. 


Fig.  24. 
A  herder  and  his  flock. 


Owing  to  the  settling  up  of  the  public  lands  and  the 
setting  aside  of  large  tracts  as  forest  reserves,  the  ranges 
for  cattle  and  sheep  have  been  largely  restricted.  The 
wool  industry  in  particular  has  greatly  declined.  The 
profits  of  sheep-raising,  as  carried  on,  were  generally 
large,  but  the  threatened  decrease  of  the  forest  area, 
especially  in  the  central  and  southern  portions  of  the 
state,  through  the  destructive  effect  of  the  sheep  upon  the 
young  trees,  resulted  in  the  formation  of  the  forest  re- 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA  47 

serves.  The  destruction  of  the  grasses,  shrubs,  and  trees, 
which  do  much  to  retain  the  soil  and  moisture  upon  the 
mountains,  would  result  in  greater  winter  floods  and  less 
flow  of  water  during  the  summer,  when  it  is  so  much 
needed  for  irrigation. 

The  foot-hills,  up  to  an  elevation  of  four  thousand  feet, 
are  well  adapted  to  general  agriculture  and  fruit-raising. 


Fig,  25. 
A  scene  in  the  high  Sierra  Nevada,  Mt.  Brewer  in  the  middle  background. 

Apples  in  particular  reach  perfection  of  quality  and  flavor 
only  in  the  cooler  climate  of  the  mountains. 

No  more  pleasant  and  agreeable  climate  is  found  any- 
where than  that  of  the  foot-hills  at  an  elevation  of  three  to 
four  thousand  feet. 

The  Great  Canons.  —  Many  deep  caiions  have  been  cut 
out  by  the  streams  flowing  down  the  slopes  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada  Mountains,  but  the  most  wonderful  of  all  is  the 


48 


CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 


Yosemite  Valley.  The  scenery  of  this  valley  is  so  remark- 
able that  it  is  renowned  over  all  the  world,  and  each  year 
it  is  visited  by  thousands  of  people. 

The  Merced  River,  aided  somewhat  by  the  glacier  that 
once  descended  its  valley,  has  eroded  a  channel  through 

the  granite  more  than  three 
thousand  feet  deep.  Where 
the  Yosemite  lies,  the  canon 
has  widened  out  to  three- 
fourths  of  a  mile.  The 
bottom  is  nearly  level,  and 
dotted  with  meadows  and 
forests  through  which  the 
river  winds.  Bounding  the 
valley  are  vertical  walls 
over  which  tumble  several 
mountain  streams  from  such 
a  height  that  the  water  is 
sometimes  turned  to  spray 
before  it  reaches  the  bot- 
tom. The  Merced  River 
enters  the  valley  by  two 
noble  falls,  and  higher  in 
the  mountains  are  many 
beautiful  lakes  which  feed 
the  streams. 

Twenty-five  miles  north- 
west of  the  Yosemite  is  Hetch  Hetchy  Valley,  formed  in  a 
similar  manner  by  the  Tuolumne  River.  Its  cliffs  are  not 
so  high  nor  its  waterfalls  so  picturesque  as  the  Yosemite. 

Nearly  as  grand  as  the  Yosemite,  but  lacking  its  mag- 
nificent waterfalls,  are  the  canons  of  Kings  River.     They 


Fig.  m. 
Tehipite  Dome  rising  3300  feet  above 
Tehipite  Valley.     Middle  fork  of 
Kings  River. 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA  49 

are  reached  only  by  steep  and  rugged  trails.  Kings  River 
canon  is  the  term  applied  to  the  south  fork  of  Kings  River, 
where  it  is  enclosed  in  magnificent  granite  walls.  The 
caiion  of  the  middle  fork  of  Kings  River  is,  if  anything, 
more  grand  than  the  south  fork.  It  is  known  as  Tehi- 
pite,  from  the  great  granite  dome  which  rises  so  precipi- 
tously from  its  northern  side  (Fig.  26). 

The  Former  Glaciers.  —  Perpetual  snow  is  found  along 
the  crest  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains,  and  upon  the 
north  sides  of  some  of  the  highest  peaks  small  glaciers 


Fig.  27. 
Granite  grooved  and  polished  by  a  former  glacier.    Glen  Alpine,  near  Lake 

Tahoe. 

still  exist.  A  few  thousand  years  ago  the  higher  portions 
of  these  mountains  were  covered  with  a  thick  mantle  of 
snow  and  ice.  Great  glaciers  gathered  in  the  basins  at 
the  heads  of  the  streams  and  moved  slowly  down  their 


50  CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 

canons.  •  The  ice  was,  in  many  places,  nearly  half  a  mile 
deep,  but  melted  before  reaching  the  Great  Valley.  The 
ice  ground  and  polished  the  granite  ridges  (Fig.  27)  over 
which  it  passed,  tearing  away  many  pieces  of  the  rock, 
which  were  carried  along  and  dropped  upon  the  sides  or 
at  the  end  of  the  glaciers,  thus  forming  the  ridges  which 
are  called  moraines.  The  loose  rock  and  soil  having  been 
scraped  off  the  high  Sierra,  it  was  left  a  region  of  barren 
granite  surfaces  over  which  only  a  scanty  forest  has 
obtained  a  foothold. 

Lakes.  — •  Many  hundreds  of  beautiful  lakes  dot  those 
portions  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  which  were  formerly  occu- 
pied by  the  glaciers,  and  nearly  all  are  present  there  be- 
cause of  the  work  of  the  glaciers.  Some  of  these  lakes 
occupy  solid  rock  basins  dug  out  by  the  glaciers,  while 
others  were  formed  by  the  morainal  dams  which  they  left 
across  the  valleys. 

Lake  Eleanor,  north  of  Hetch  Hetchy  Valley ;  Tenaya, 
above  the  Yosemite ;  East  and  Bullfrog  lakes,  at  the 
head  of  branches  of  the  south  fork  of  Kings  River; 
are  among  the  most  beautiful  lakes  upon  the  western 
slopes. 

The  largest  and  most  widely  known  lake  is  Tahoe,  at 
the  head  of  the  Truckee  River,  upon  the  eastern  slope. 
This  lake  has  a  length  of  twenty  three  miles  and  an  ele- 
vation of  more  than  six  thousand  feet  above  the  sea. 
Tahoe  is  not  a  glacial  lake,  but  was  formed  long  ago  as 
the  result  of  a  lava  dam  across  an  ancient  valley. 

Water  Supply,  Water  Power,  Recreation.  —  The  streams 
of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  rising  in  a  region  of  great  precipita- 
tion and  almost  perpetual  snow,  maintain  a  considerable 
flow  of   water   through   the    summer.     This  water,  par- 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA  51 

ticularly  toward  the  southern  end  of  the  Gr-eat  Valley 
is  largely  used  in  irrigation. 

The  rapid  descent  of  the  streams  through  the  caiions 
makes  them  valuable  as  sources  of  power  for  manu- 
facturing, mining,  and  electric  lighting.  Owing  to  the 
inaccessibility  of  these  canons  manufacturing  cannot  be 
conveniently  carried  on  near  the  source  of  power  ;  but 
with  the  system  of  electric  transmission  coming  into  use, 
the  power  can  be  conducted  a  great  distance.  Already 
plants  for  the  transformation  of  the  water  power  into 
electrical  energy  have  been  established  upon  many  of  the 
streams,  and  the  electricity  is  being  conducted  to  the 
adjoining  cities  in  the  Great  Valley,  and  even  as  far  as 
the  San  Francisco  Bay  region. 

The  elevated  Sierran  province,  valuable  as  it  is  from  an 
economic  standpoint,  is  destined  to  become  more  and  more 
important  as  a  healthful  and  pleasant  place  for  summer 
recreation.  These  mountains  are  already  the  resort  of 
thousands  while  the  valleys  below  are  passing  through 
the  hot  season. 

The  Great  Valley  Province 

Physiography  and  Climate.  — The  Great  Valley  lies  in  the 
very  heart  of  the  state,  completely  surrounded  by  moun- 
tains save  for  the  narrow  outlet  at  the  strait  of  Carquinez 
(Fig.  41).  The  valley  forms  the  largest  tract  of  level  land 
in  the  state,  and  is  really  a  plain  four  hundred  miles  long 
and  fifty  miles  wide.  It  is  a  very  old  valley  and  was 
formed  by  a  bending  downwards  of  the  earth's  crust.  It 
has  been,  at  different  times  in  its  history,  an  arm  of  the 
ocean,  a  brackish  or  fresh  water  lake,  and  dry  land. 

The  surface  of  the  valley  is  made  up  partly  of  delta 


62  CALIFORNIA    SUPPLEMENT 

deposits  left  by  the  streams,  and  partly  of  sediments 
deposited  in  a  lake  or  arm  of  the  ocean.  The  central  part 
of  the  valley  is  filled  with  material  of  this  kind  to  a  depth 
of  more  than  two  thousand  feet. 

The  last  sinking  of  the  land  caused  the  ocean  to  enter 
the  valley,  flooding  the  lower  portion.  The  surface  rises 
slowly  from  this  area  of  lowlands  and  marshes  through 
the  opposite  arms,  the  Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin  val- 
leys. The  Sacramento  Valley  for  many  miles  has  such 
a  gentle  grade  that  the  river  has  built  up  its  channel 
so  that  the  immediate  banks  are  higher  than  the  land 
lying  back.  Whether  a  stream  erodes  a  channel  or  de- 
posits material  depends  upon  the  slope  of  the  land,  the 
amount  of  water,  and  the  quantity  of  sand  and  clay 
which  it  is  carrying  along. 

Many  of  the  streams  have  built  extensive  debris  fans  or 
deltas.  This  is  particularly  the  case  with  those  in  the 
San  Joaquin  Valley.  A  study  of  the  map  shows  that  the 
Kern,  Kaweah,  and  Kings  rivers  upon  leaving  the  moun- 
tains split  up  into  a  number  of  branches.  The  grade  of 
the  streams  is  slight,  and  they  are  loaded  with  debris 
so  that  they  are  continually  filling  up  their  channels  and 
making  new  ones.  The  Kings  Kiver  has  thus  built  a 
debris  fan  which  has  been  extended  completely  across  the 
valley  to  the  Coast  Ranges.  This  made  a  shallow  basin  to 
the  south,  in  which  a  large  body  of  water  known  as  Lake 
Tulare  formerly  existed.  The  lake  has  now  disappeared, 
owing  to  the  use  of  the  water  for  irrigation.  Buena  Vista 
Lake,  near  the  southern  end  of  the  valley,  was  formed  in 
a  similar  manner  by  the  delta  of  the  Kern  River. 

Only  one  elevation  of  note  breaks  the  surface  of  the 
Great  Valley.     This  is   a   group   of   ancient   and  much 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA  53 

eroded  volcanic  peaks,  in  the  Sacramento  Valley,  known 
as  the  Marysville  Buttes. 

The  climate  of  the  Great  Valley  is  very  warm  in  the 
summer,  and  in  winter  the  average  temperature  is  but 
slightly  below  that  of  Southern  California,  so  that  oranges 
can  be  grown  in  many  portions  without  any  trouble.  In 
winter  there  is  a  good  deal  of  fog,  this  being  the  exact 
opposite  of  the  coast  region,  where  fog  is  more  prevalent 
in  summer. 


Fic.  L'S. 
IrrigaUng  canal,  Kern  Co. 

The  rainfall  decreases  from  the  north  toward  the  south, 
and  is  less  along  the  western  side,  owing  to  the  cutting  off 
of  the  ocean  winds  by  the  Coast  Ranges,  than  it  is  toward 
the  foot-hills  of  the  Sierra  Nevada.  The  annual  rainfall 
at  Red  Bluff  averages  twenty-five  inches,  while  at  the 
southern  end  of  the  San  Joaquin  Valley  it  is  six  inches 
or  less.  In  the  southern  portion  of  the  valley  irrigation 
is  necessary  for  the  successful  growing  of  crops.  In  the 
Sacramento  Valley  most  crops  can  generally  be  depended 
on  without  irrigation,  but  for  the  growing  of  citrus  fruits 


54 


CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 


it  is  necessary  at  all  points.  The  effect  of  elevation  upon 
rainfall  is  strikingly  shown  in  the  contrast  between  the 
arid  valley  south  of  Bakersfield  and  the  fertile  and  pic- 
turesque surroundings  of  old  Fort  Tejon,  upon  the  moun- 
tains adjoining,  at  an  elevation  of  twenty-five  hundred 
feet. 

sources.  —  The  oldest  settlements  are  in  the  Sacra- 
nto  Valley.  For  many  years  the  chief  industry  was 
'tock-raising,  although  on  the  Bidwell  ranch,  near  the 
present  town  of  Chico,  orchards  were  set  out  shortly  after 
the  discovery  of  gold.  Later,  sheep  were  introduced,  and 
afterward  came  the  period  of  grain-growing.  For  hun- 
dreds of  miles  the  valley  is  one  almost  continuous  grain 
field.  The  greater  portion  of  the  valley  is  still  given  over 
to  grain,  but  orchards  and  vineyards  have  replaced  it  over 
large  areas  where  the  climatic  conditions  are  suitable  and 
water  is  convenient  for  irrigation. 

By  the  use  of  water  the   light   soil  of   the  deltas  of 

the  Kern  (Fig.  29), 
Kaweah,  and  Kings 
rivers  have  been 
made  very  produc- 
tive. Dairying  has 
also  become  an  im- 
portant industry. 
Cattle  now,  instead 
of  wandering  over 
miles  of  half -barren 
country,  are  sup- 
ported by  the  great 
fields  of  alfalfa. 
It  has  been  found  that  the  climate  and  soil  of  a  part 


'm^ 


fe#*r^ir. 


Fig.  29. 
The  fertile  delta  of  the  Kern  River. 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA  55 

of  the  Great  Valley  are  adapted  to  the  growing  of  the 
fruits  which  have  made  Southern  California  so  noted. 
Oranges  do  particularly  well  along  the  eastern  side  of  the 
valley,  and  in  the  edge  of  the  foot-hills  as  far  north  as 
Red  Bluff.  Oranges  ripen  several  weeks  earlier  than 
they  do  in  Southern  California.  Lemons,  figs,  almonds, 
and  grapes  do  equally  well  and  are  raised  in  large  quanti- 
ties. The  foot-hills  are  particularly  adapted  to  olives, 
apricots,  peaches,  and  pears.  The  bottom  lands  are  de- 
voted to  alfalfa,  and  the  broad  stretch  through  the  centre 
of  the  valley  mainly  to  grain.  The  overflow  lands  at  the 
junction  of  the  Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin  rivers  were 
originally  covered  with  tules.  Large  portions  of  these 
lands  are  now  protected  by  levees,  and  produce  luxuriant 
crops  of  grain  and  vegetables. 

Coal  is  found  at  lone,  and  at  Lincoln  there  are  valuable 
deposits  of  clay  suitable  for  pottery. 

Chief  Cities.  —  The  locations  of  the  cities  of  the  Great 
Valley  have  been  determined  largely  by  physiographic 
conditions.  Sacramento  was  founded  in  the  early  days. 
It  is  situated  upon  the  Sacramento  River,  just  below  the 
mouth  of  the  American  River.  It  was  located  at  this 
point  because  of  the  easy  water  communication  with  San 
Francisco  and  its  convenience  as  a  point  of  distribution  of 
supplies  to  the  mines.  The  city  was  the  starting-point 
of  the  overland  travel,  and  for  a  time  the  terminus  of  the 
Pacific  Railroad. 

Sacramento  is  in  the  heart  of  the  early  fruit  belt,  and  a 
large  proportion  of  the  deciduous  fruits  of  the  state  are 
grown  in  the  surrounding  districts.  Thousands  of  car- 
loads of  fruits,  berries,  and  vegetables  are  shipped  east 
from  this  point.     Sacramento  is  one  of  the  chief  manu- 


56 


CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 


W^' 


M 


oirmi.  J  ...i.i.L 


r 


facturing  cities  of  the  state  and  contains  the  extensive  car 
shops  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad.  Owing  to  its  loca- 
tion at  what  is  practically  the  head  of  navigation  for  large 
boats,  its  rich  adjoining  country,  and  its  convenience  as  a 
shipping  point,  Sacramento  must  continue  to  be  one  of  the 
chief  cities  of  the  state. 

Marysville  is  situated  at  the  junction  of  the  Yuba  and 
Feather  rivers.  It  early  assumed  importance  as  a  dis- 
tributing point 
for  the  mines. 
Then  it  could  be 
easily  reached 
by  steamer,  but 
now  navigation 
is  more  difficult 
because  of  the 
shoaling  of  the 
streams. 

Chico  is  sur- 
rounded by  fruit 
ranches,  the 
most  important 
of  which  is  the 
Bidwell  ranch.  A  little  farther  up  the  valley  is  the 
famous  Stanford  vineyard,  the  largest  in  the  world. 

Red  Bluff  is  situated  at  the  extreme  head  of  steamboat 
navigation  on  the  Sacramento  River. 

Redding,  at  the  upper  end  of  the  valley,  is  the  centre 
of  an  important  fruit  and  mining  region.  It  is  growing 
rapidly,  owing  to  the  development  of  both  gold  and  copper 
mines. " 

Oroville,  the  county  seat  of  Butte  County,  is  the  centre 


.jffi 


Fig.  30. 
The  capitol  building  at  Sacramento. 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA  57 

of  the  orange  industry  in  the  Great  Valley.     Near  this 
place  were  some  of  the  richest  of  the  early  placer  mines. 

Stockton,  at  the  lower  end  of  the  San  Joaquin  Valley, 
owes  its  importance  to  the  fact  that  it  is  situated  at  the 
head  of  tide-water  navigation,  in  the  heart  of  a  rich  and 
highly  cultivated  district.  It  is  an  important  shipping- 
point  for  grain,  fruit,  and  vegetables.  Stockton  is  noted 
for  its  flour  mills.  Grain  is  brought  in  upon  the  cars,  is 
made  into  flour,  and  shipped  by  river  steamer  to  San 
Francisco,  where  it  is  transferred  to  ocean-going  boats. 
The  lowlands  along  the  water  courses  below  Stockton 


V\r..  :;!. 
Flour  mills  at  Stoektou. 


are  especially  noted  for  their  production  of  potatoes  and 
asparagus. 

Fresno  is  the  largest  city  of  the  central  San  Joaquin 
Valley.  It  owes  its  location  to  the  Kings  River,  which, 
issuing  from  the  mountains,  spreads  out  in  many  branches 
over  its  great  delta,  and  affords  excellent  opportunities  for 
irrigation.  Grain  was  formerly  the  main  product,  but 
now  there  are  extensive  vineyards  and  orchards.  Fresno 
is  noted  for  its  raisins,  and  is  the  centre  of  this  industry  in 
California. 


58  CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 

Bakersfield  is  near  the  southern  end  of  the  San  Joaquin 
Valley.  The  climate  of  this  portion  of  the  valley  is  very 
dry,  but  with  irrigation  the  lands  produce  abundantly. 
The  city  is  located  near  the  Kern  River  a  little  below 
where  it  issues  from  the  mountains.  The  river  supplies 
the  water  for  irrigation  in  this  district.  Bakersfield  was 
formerly  the  centre  of  the  cattle  and  sheep  industry  of 
this  part  of  the  state.  The  region  about  is  now  noted  for 
its  oil  wells,  the  product  of  oil  from  this  field  being  larger 
than  that  from  any  other  in  the  state.  The  petroleum  is 
used  largely  in  steam  engines,  for  like  most  of  that  found 
in  California,  it  is  thick  and  not  so  good  for  illuminating 
purposes  as  the  eastern  oil.  When  refined  it  is  the  source 
of  many  by-products,  such  as  gasolene,  benzine,  paraffin, 
and  lubricating  oils. 

Province  of  the  Coast  Ranges 

Physiography  and  Climate.  —  The  relief  map  shows  that 
the  state  is  bordered  upon  the  coastal  side  by  an  almost 
continuous  series  of  mountains.  These  are  depressed  in 
the  San  Francisco  Bay  region  where  the  Great  Valley  finds 
outlet,  and  retreat  somewhat  from  the  ocean  in  Southern 
California,  leaving  room  for  the  plain  of  Los  Angeles. 

The  term  "  Coast  Ranges  "  is  usually  applied  to  that  por- 
tion of  the  coast  mountains  lying  south  of  the  south  fork 
of  Trinity  River,  and  north  of  the  Santa  Clara  River. 
The  relief  map  (Fig.  1)  clearly  shows  also  that  this  system 
of  mountains  is  made  up  of  a  number  of  parallel  ranges  with 
valleys  between  them.  The  valleys  generally  open  in  a 
northwesterly  direction,  and  as  they  approach  the  ocean 
become  very  broad. 

The  direction  of  the  mountains  and  the  recent  sinking 


J 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA 


59 


of  the  land  are  important  facts  governing  the  physiography 
of  the  Coast  Ranges.  The  ocean  entered  the  valleys  of  all 
the  streams.  Most  of  the  bays  thus  formed  have  been  filled 
with  silt,  giving  the  broad  and  rich  bottom  lands ;  the  waves 
have  thrown  sandbars  across  the  mouths  of  some,  while  in 
the  case  of  San  Francisco  Bay,  the  large  area  flooded  has 
given  us  a  magnificent  harbor  with  easy  entrance. 

The  Coast  Ranges  rise  generally  from  two  thousand  to 
four  thousand  feet,  reaching  their  greatest  height  near  their 
northern  and  southern  limits.  The  Santa  Lucia  is  the 
most  rugged  range  in  the  central  portion  of  these  moun- 
tains. It  rises  very  abruptly  from  the  ocean  to  a  height 
of  four  thousand  feet,  one  peak  San  Lucia  reaching  nearly 
six  thousand  feet. 

The  Gavilan  and  Santa  Cruz  mountains  belong  to 
another  important  range  which  is  depressed  in  the  middle 
where  the  Pajaro  River  crosses  it. 

A  broad  group  of  elevated  mountains  lies  between  the 
Santa  Clara  and  San  Joaquin  valleys.  The  eastern  por- 
tion, forming  the 
main  divide  of 
the  Coast  Ranges, 
is  the  Mt.  Diablo 
Range.  Mt.  Ham- 
ilton on  the  west 
overlooks  the  San- 
ta Clara  Valley. 
It  rises  more  than 
four  thousand  feet, 
and  is  noted  as 
the  location  of  the  Fig.  32. 

Lick  observatory.  Lick  observatory,  Mt.  Hamilton. 


60  CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 

Mt.  Diablo  lies  south  of  the  strait  of  Carquinez  and  is 
the  most  striking  landmark  seen  in  the  Coast  Ranges  as  one 
journeys  toward  San  Francisco  across  the  Great  Valley. 

North  of  San  Francisco  there  are  three  important 
valleys  separated  by  volcanic  mountains.  The  highest 
peaks  are  Mt.  St.  Helena  and  Mt.  Konocti,  both  rising 
over  four  thousand  feet. 

The  summit  of  Mt.  Tamalpais,  which  rises  twenty- 
six  hundred  feet,  offers  the  best  opportunity  for  the  study 
of  the  physiography  of  the  San  Francisco  Bay  region. 

The  rainfall  decreases  from  fifty-two  inches  at  Eureka 
to  thirteen  inches  in  the  valley  of  the  Santa  Maria  in  the 
southern  Coast  Ranges.  Upon  the  mountains  it  is 
greater.  In  the  eastern  portion  of  the  southern  Coast 
Ranges  the  rainfall  is  very  light,  and  one  large  valley,  the 
Carrisa  Plain,  is  without  outlet.  It  has  in  its  centre  a 
salt  marsh,  and  is  the  only  valley  of  any  size  without 
external  drainage  west  of  the  Great  Basin. 

The  beds  of  the  larger  streams  of  the  southern  Coast 
Ranges  —  the  Salinas,  the  Santa  Maria,  and  Santa  Ynez  — 
are  nearly  dry  in  the  summer,  although  water  can  be  found 
beneath  the  surface. 

The  summer  climate  of  the  immediate  coast  is  cool,  owing 
to  the  fog  which  sweeps  in  from  the  ocean.  The  fog  is  one 
thousand  to  fifteen  hundred  feet  thick,  and  the  mountains 
which  rise  above  it  have  a  normal  summer  climate. 

Resources.  — The  resources  of  the  Coast  Ranges  are 
exceedingly  varied,  and  the  climate  for  the  most  part  is 
so  agreeable  that  this  portion  of  the  state  is  quite  thickly 
settled.  Stock-raising  was  the  earlier  occupation  upon  the 
old  Spanish  grants,  which  embraced  nearly  all  the  valuable 
lands.     Large  numbers  of  cattle  and  much  grain  are  still 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA 


61 


produced,  but  many  of  the  great  ranches  have  been  cut 
up  into  smaller  ones,  where  diversified  farming  and  fruit- 
raising  are  carried  on. 

The  country  immediately  adjacent  to  the  coast,  because 
of  the  cool  climate  and  the  luxuriance  of  the  grasses,  is 
particularly  adapted  to  dairying.  From  Eureka  to  San 
Luis  Obispo,  a  distance  of  four  hundred  miles,  dairying  is, 
for  this  reason,  an  im- 
portant industry.  The 
cheese  and  butter  pro- 
duced are  shipped  to 
San  Francisco  upon  the 
little  coasting  steamers. 

Through  the  most  of 
the  valleys  and  foot-hills 
of  the  Coast  Ranges 
fruit-raising  is  now  the 
leading  industry.  Or- 
anges are  not  grown 
extensively  north  of 
Point  Conception,  al- 
though they  do  well  in 
some  places  as  far  north 
as  the  Sonoma  Valley. 
The  chief  fruits  raised 
are  prunes,  apricots, 
peaches,    pears,    apples, 

and  grapes.  The  growing  of  wine  grapes  is  an  important 
industry,  especially  north  of  San  Francisco.  Santa  Cruz 
and  Humboldt  counties  are  noted  for  their  apples.  A  por- 
tion of  the  fruit  is  shipped  fresh  to  San  Francisco  and  the 
East.     Another  portion  is  dried.     The  drying  is  done 


Fig.  33. 

Scene  in  the  museum  of  the  Academy  of 
Sciences. 


62 


CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 


either  in   the   open  air,  or  in  a  building   supplied  with 
hot  air. 

Nearly  all  the  valleys  and  foot-hills  are  dotted  with  oaks, 
but  the  forests  available  for  lumber  are  chiefly  confined 
to  a  belt  near  the  coast  from  Santa  Cruz  northward.     In 

Mendocino  and  Hum- 
boldt counties  the  red- 
wood belt  reaches  a 
width  of  twenty  miles. 
Little  gold  is  found 
in  the  Coast  Ranges. 
The  most  important 
mineral  products  are 
quicksilver,  petroleum, 
and  bituminous  rock. 
A  small  amount  of  coal 
is  mined.  The  quick- 
silver deposits  extend 
from  Clear  Lake  to 
central  Santa  Barbara 
County.  Here  is  pro- 
duced nearly  all  the 
mercury  obtained  in 
the  United  States.  The 
New  Almaden  mine  near  San  Jose  is  the  deepest,  while 
the  New  Idria  in  San  Benito  County  is  one  of  the  largest 
producers  in  the  world. 

In  recent  years  the  growing  of  beets  for  the  manufacture 
of  sugar  has  become  an  important  industry,  the  moist  low- 
lands of  the  larger  valleys  being  well  adapted  to  their  cul- 
ture. The  largest  beet-sugar  factory  is  near  Salinas  (Fig.  45). 
The  City  of  San  Francisco.  —  Since  the  discovery  of  gold 


Fig.  34. 
Looking  down  Market  St. 


San  Francisco. 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA 


63 


Fig.  35. 
Shipbuilding,  San  Francisco. 


San  Francisco  has  been  the  metropolis  and  chief  com- 
mercial city  of  California.  From  the  conditions  of 
its  location  this 
could  not  have 
been  otherwise. 
Within  a  radius 
of  fifty  miles 
is  located  more 
than  one-third 
of  the  popula- 
tion of  the  state, 
and  the  concen- 
tration of  trade 
and  commerce 
about  the  shores 
of  San  Francisco  Bay  must  become  even  more  marked  in 

the  future. 

(xreat  cities 
cannot  be  made 
at  any  point. 
Their  location 
and  future 
growth  depend 
upon  physio- 
graphic causes. 
Those  which 
have  led  to 
the  supremacy 
of  San  Francisco 
Fio.  36.  are   the   posses- 

City  Hall,  San  Francisco.  gj^n  of  the  finest 

harbor  upon  the  Pacific  coast,  its  excellent  means  of  com- 


64 


CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 


munication,  both  by  land  and  water,  with  extensive  valleys 
rich  in  agricultural  resources,  and  mountains  filled  with 
minerals. 

The  southern  arm  of  the  bay  reaches  into  the  Santa 
Clara  Valley,  which  is  one  of  the  most  highly  cultivated 
portions   of  the   state.       The   northern   arm,   known   as 

San  Pablo  Bay,  gives  access  to 
both  Sonoma  and  Napa  valleys, 
while  through  the  strait  of 
Carquinez  (Fig.  41)  there  is 
water  communication  with 
Sacramento  and  Stockton. 


^w^m 


i«rK 


r 


'^w^ 


Fig.  37. 
The  Ferry  Building,  San  Francisco. 


San  Francisco  is  situated  upon  the  eastern  side  of  the 
peninsula  of  the  same  name.  The  lower  part  of  the  city 
lies  partly  upon  made  land,  but  behind  rise  rolling  and 
picturesque  hills.  Between  the  city  and  the  Golden 
Gate  is  the  military  reservation  known  as  the  Presidio, 
where  have  been  erected  the  main  defences  of  the  city. 

North  of  the  city,  in  the  middle  of  the  channel,  is 
Alcatraz  Island,  a  military  prison,  while  near  the  northern 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA  65 

shore  is  Angel  Island,  used  for  a  military  post  and  quar- 
antine station.  Goat  Island,  between  the  city  and  Oak- 
land, has  a  naval  school  located  upon  it. 

San  Francisco  has  grown  mainly  because  of  its  commer- 
cial position.  It  is  also  a  manufacturing  city  of  impor- 
tance, although  the  high  price  of  fuel  has  been  a  drawback. 
The  discovery  of  rich  oil  fields  and  the  transmission  of 
electric  power  from  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains  must 
make  up  for  the  lack  of  cheap  coal,  and  manufacturing 
will  soon  become  a  much  more  important  factor  in  the 
development  of  the  city. 


Fig.  .S8. 
The  U.  S.  battleship  Oregon.    Built  by  the  Uniou  Iron  Works. 

Among  the  most  extensive  manufacturing  institutions 
are  the  Union  Iron  Works,  noted  on  account  of  their  con- 
struction of  cruisers  and  battleships  for  the  government. 
As  a  centre  for  the  manufacture  of  mining  machinery  San 
Francisco  is  noted.  It  has  also  extensive  manufactures 
of  shoes,  clothing,  flour,  and  canned  goods. 

The  city  has  beautiful  parks,  several  museums,  includ- 
ing that  of  the  Academy  of  Sciences  (Fig.  33),  Mining 
Bureau,  and  Park  Museum.     It  has  a  fine  art  gallery  and 


66 


CALIFORNIA    SUPPLEMENT 


important  industrial  and  professional  schools.  The  popu- 
lation (census  of  1900)  is  342,700,  and  although  little  more 
than  fifty  years  old,  the  city  is  one  of  the  leading  commercial 
centres  of  the  United  States. 

Suburban  Cities.  —  Upon  the  eastern  side  of  the  bay 
are  situated  the  cities  of  Oakland,  Alameda,  and  Berkeley. 
They  are  easily  reached  by  ferries  and  local  cars.  These 
are  essentially  cities  of  homes,  for  here  dwell  thousands  of 
men  whose  work  takes  them  to  San  Francisco  every  day. 
Oakland  is  the  largest,  having  a  population  of    67,000 

(census  of  1900).  It 
is  the  third  city  in  size 
in  the  state.  It  has  a 
commodious  harbor  and 
extensive  manufactures. 
Other  manufactures  are 
growing  up  along  the 
bay  as  far  north  as  Point 
Richmond,  the  land  ter- 
minus of  the  Santa  Fe 
Railroad. 

Berkeley  lies  north  of 
Oakland  at  the  foot  of 
the  Contra  Costa  Hills. 
The  state  University,  one  of  the  largest  schools  for  higher 
education  in  the  United  States,  is  situated  there.  The 
University  grounds,  on  the  slope  of  the  hills  facing  the 
Golden  Gate,  have  great  natural  beauty.  The  first  of  the 
new  buildings  in  the  Hearst  architectural  plans  has  been 
commenced. 

North  of  San  Francisco  are  the  pleasantly  situated 
towns  of  Sauselito  and  San  Rafael. 


Fig.  bU. 

The  Le  Conte  Oak  (live-oak)  on  the  grounds 
of  the  University  of  California. 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA 


67 


Tributary  Valleys  and  Cities.  —  Santa  Clara  Valley, 
penetrated  by  the  southern  arm  of  San  Francisco  Bay,  is 
dotted  with  orchards  of  prunes,  peaches,  apricots,  and 
other  fruits,  while  in  the  foot-hills  are  vineyards  and  apple 
orchards.  This  valley  is  the  centre  of  the  prune  industry. 
There  are  also  grown  in  the  valley  great  quantities  of 
small  fruits  and  seeds. 

San  Jose  is  located  in  the  centre  of  the  valley  a  few 
miles  from  the  bay.  It  is  the  chief  city  and  contains 
one  of  the  state 
Normal  Schools, 
while  a  little  to 
the  northwest  is 
the  University 
of  the  Pacific. 

Between  San 
Jose  and  San 
Francisco  is  sit- 
uated the  Ice- 
land Stanford 
Jr.  University. 
This  univer- 
sity    has     fine 

grounds,  and  is  erecting  a  series  of  large  and  expensive 
buildings.  It  is  the  most  richly  endowed  university  in 
America. 

Sonoma  Valley  does  not  drain  into  San  PVancisco  Bay 
as  might  be  expected  from  its  position,  for  Russian  River, 
some  distance  before  reaching  the  bay,  turns  westward 
and  passes  through  the  mountains  to  the  ocean.  Santa 
Rosa,  the  largest  city,  is  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  rich 
fruit  section.     The  fruit  products  are  diversified,  for  not 


Fig.  40. 
A  fa9ade,  Stanford  University. 


68 


CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 


only  are  there  raised  those  characteristic  of  the  other 
valleys  of  the  Coast  Ranges,  but  lemons  and  oranges  also 
have  been  found  to  do  well  in  certain  localities.  The 
valley  is  noted  particularly  for  its  olives  and  grapes,  and 
in  the  upper  portion  many  hops  are  grown.  Petaluma  is 
most  noted  for  its  poultry  farms. 

Napa  Valley  is  not  excelled  for  beauty  and  richness  by 
any  in  the  state.     All  the  common  fruits  do  well  there. 


Fig.  41. 
Looking  down  the  Strait  of  Carquinez. 

Growing  grapes  for  wine  was  formerly  the  leading  in- 
dustry, but  now  prunes,  olives,  almonds,  apples,  and 
cherries  are  more  important. 

The  Strait  of  Carquinez.  —  The  streams  of  the  Great 
Valley  meeting  in  the  marshes  a  little  above  Suisun  Bay 
pour  their  waters  through  the  Strait  of  Carquinez  into 
San  Pablo  and  San  Francisco  bays.  The  Strait  marks  the 
inner  line  of  the  Coast  Ranges,  and  is  practically  at  the 
meeting-point  of  the  interior  with  the  ocean  traffic,  and 
for  this  reason  is  destined  to  become  of  great  importance 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA  69 

in  the  development  of  the  state.  The  hills  rise  steeply, 
with  deep  water  at  their  base,  giving  excellent  opportu- 
nities for  the  loading  and  unloading  of  ocean  vessels 
(Fig.  41).  Already  many  manufactures  and  other  in- 
dustries have  grown  up  along  the  Strait. 

Near  Port  Costa  are  extensive  grain  warehouses,  flour 
mills,  lumber  yards,  and  sugar  refineries.  The  Selby 
smelting  works,  a  little  farther  down  the  Strait,  is  the 


Fig.  42. 
Sugar  refinery,  South  Vallejo. 

largest  establishment  of  its  kind  in  the  state.  On  the  north 
shore  of  the  Strait  are  the  towns  of  Benecia  and  Val- 
lejo, with  many  manufacturing  establishments  (Fig.  .42), 
and  near  by  is  the  Mare  Island  navy  yard. 

The  Northern  Coast.  —  This  is  a  region  of  forested 
mountains  and  narrow  valleys.  Between  the  mountains 
and  the  ocean  there  is  generally  a  plain  of  varying  width 
upon  which  are  situated  a  number  of  towns  supported  by 
dairying  and  lumbering.  The  coastal  plain  and  the  valleys 
adjacent  are  almost  wholly  given  up  to  dairying.  The 
long  wet  season  and  cool  air  are  particularly  favorable. 

The  industry  of  greatest  importance  upon  the  northern 
coast  is  lumbering.  The  most  of  the  towns  have  grown 
up  about  the  sawmills.  These  have  been  placed  at  points 
on  the  coast  where  the  logs  may  be  easily  gathered,  usually 


70 


CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 


at  the  mouth  of  some  valley,  and  where  the  lumber  may 
be  shipped  away  by  boat. 

Eureka,  situated  upon  Humboldt  Bay  near  the  mouth 
of  Eel  River,  is  the  most  important  city  upon  the  coast 
north  of  San  Francisco.  Here  are  many  sawmills  for 
cutting  up  the  great  redwood  logs  brought  by  the  rail- 
roads which  branch  out  into  the  various  logging  districts. 


Fig.  43. 
Logging  in  the  redwoods. 

Here  also  are  extensive  shipbuilding  plants.  The  forests 
of  redwood  extend  back  more  than  twenty  miles  from  the 
coast,  being  more  dense  in  the  valleys.   ( ^.^^ 

Between  Eureka  and  the  mountains  there  is  a  rich 
plain,  largely  given  up  to  dairying.  Many  orchards, 
where  fruit  of  an  excellent  quality  is  raised,  are  found  in 
the  valleys,  back  a  little  from  the  coast.  As  a  result  of  its 
favorable  situation.  Eureka  must  become  a  city  of  im- 


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PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA  71 

portance.  It  is  connected  by  steamer  and  stage  with  San 
Francisco,  but  ultimately  will  have  railroad  communication. 

The  Clear  Lake  Region.  —  Clear  Lake  lies  in  the  heart 
of  the  northern  Coast  Ranges.  It  is  the  largest  lake  in 
the  state  west  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains.  The 
lake  empties  through  Cache  Creek  into  the  Sacramento 
River,  but  in  quite  recent  times  its  outlet  was  westward, 
through  the  canon  in  which  the  Blue  Lakes  lie,  into 
Russian  River. 

The  Clear  Lake  region  is  widely  known  for  its  beauty 
and  its  many  mineral  springs.  The  mountains  about  the 
southern  side  of  the  lake,  of  which  Mt.  Konocti  is  the 
highest,  are  of  volcanic  origin.  The  mineral  springs  and 
quicksilver  deposits  in  this  portion  of  the  Coast  Ranges 
are  the  result  of  the  last  volcanic  outbreaks.  Sulphur 
Bank,  at  the  eastern  end  of  Clear  Lake,  is  interesting  on 
account  of  its  deposits  of  both  quicksilver  and  sulphur. 
Here  can  be  seen  the  way  in  Avhich  Nature  formed  the 
deposits  of  these  minerals,  which  are  found  so  extensively 
in  California.  In  fact.  Nature  is  still  forming  them  here. 
Through  the  fissures  in  the  rocks  issue  gases  and  hot 
waters  carrying  various  minerals  in  solution. 

Fruit-growing,  especially  grapes,  and  the  raising  of 
stock  are  the  most  important  industries. 

Monterey  and  Surroundings.  —  Great  historic  interest 
centres  about  the  town  of  Monterey,  the  old  Mexican 
capital  of  California.  The  custom-house,  from  which 
Commodore  Sloat  hauled  down  the  Mexican  flag,  is  still 
standing.  There  are  also  other  adobe  buildings  of  his- 
toric interest. 

Here  we  see  plainly  the  influence  of  physiography  upon 
the  growth  of  cities.     Monterey,  though  founded  before 


72 


CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 


San  Francisco,  and  for  a  time  the  capital  and  second  city 
in  importance,  owing  to  its  rather  isolated  position  and 
lack  of  easy  communication  with  the  interior  has  felt  but 
little  the  influences  of  those  causes  which  made  San 
Francisco  a  great  city. 

To  the  west  of  Monterey  is  the  Point  of  Pines,  near 
which  are  the  noted  groves  of  cypress.  Between  the  Point 
and  Monterey  is  Pacific  Grove,  the  most  picturesque  and 
delightful  of  all  the  summer  or  winter  resorts  along  the 


Fig.  44. 
Old  Mexican  custom-house,  Monterey. 

coast.     South  of  Monterey,  upon  the  shores  of  Carmelo 
Bay,  is  the  second  oldest  mission  in  the  state  (Fig.  44). 

The  Valleys  of  the  Southern  Coast  Ranges.  —  The  Sa- 
linas Valley  forms  the  main  highway  into  the  southern 
Coast  Ranges,  From  Watsonville,  with  its  apple  orchards, 
one  enters  the  Salinas  Valley,  where  there  are  great 
stretches  of  lowland  devoted  to  sugar  beets,  and  the 
largest  beet-sugar  factory  in  California  (Fig.  45).  The 
valley  narrows  farther  up  and  becomes  very  dry.  Then 
it  widens  out  in  a  broad   and  extensive  region  devoted 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA  73 

largely  to  grain.     Still  farther,  toward  the   head  of  the 
valley,  are  many  orchards. 

From  the  beautiful  Santa  Margarita  Valley  one  goes 
by  the  Cuesta  Pass  across  the  Santa  Lucia  Range  to  the 
broad,  rich  valley  in  which  the  town  of  San  Luis  Obispo 
lies.  This  is  one  of  the  most  attractive  regions  of  the 
Coast  Ranges  on  account  of  its  climate,  scenery,  and 
variety  of  productions.     A  series  of  high  peaks,  known  as 


tUi.  45. 

Spreckels'  beet-sugar  factory,  Salinas  Valley. 

the  San  Luis  Buttes,  extend  northwest  from  the  town  to 
the  ocean,  where  it  terminates  in  Morro  rock,  a  bare,  rocky 
island  rising  almost  precipitously  to  an  elevation  of  nearly 
six  hundred  feet  (Fig.  46). 

Farther  south  is  Arroyo  Grande,  a  valley  of  orchards, 
and  beyond  that  the  valley  of  the  Santa  Maria,  covered 
with  grain  fields  and  orchards.  The  most  important 
stream  of  Santa  Barbara  County  is  the  Santa  Ynez  River. 


74 


CALIFORNIA  SUPPLEMENT 


Beans  are  extensively  raised  in  the  lower  part  of  the 
valley,  near  the  town  of  Lompoc. 

Toward  the  upper  portions  of  the  basins  of  all  the 
streams  of  the  southern  Coast  Ranges  the  mountains  are 
rugged  and  partly  wooded.  They  are  therefore  largely 
devoted  to  the  raising  of  cattle. 

The  southern  Coast  Ranges,  particularly  in  San  Luis 
Obispo  County,  are  noted  for  their  extensive  deposits  of 
bituminous  rock.     This  substance  is  formed  by  a  thick, 


Fig.  4G. 
Morro  Rock. 

dark  petroleum,  which  looks  much  like  tar,  slowly  oozing 
up  from  deep  in  the  rocks  and  soaking  into  beds  of  soft 
sandstone.  The  dark,  sticky  substance  thus  formed  is  of 
great  value  in  giving  a  smooth,  hard  surface  to  roads.  It 
is  used  more  or  less  in  the  pavements  of  all  the  cities  of  the 
state. 

Southern  California  Province 

Physiography  and  Climate.  —  Under  the  term  "  South- 
ern California "  is  included  all  that  portion  of  the  state 
lying  south  of  the  watershed  extending  from  Tehachapi 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA  75 

Range  west  through  the  Santa  Ynez  Range  to  Point  Con- 
ception. This  province  contains  about  one-third  of  the 
population  of  the  state. 

Southern  California  has  two  slopes :  one  southwest  to 
the  ocean,  and  the  other  east  and  northeast  into  the  Great 
Basin.  With  the  exception  of  Antelope  Valley,  at  the 
west  end  of  the  Mohave  Desert,  and  portions  of  the 
Colorado  Desert,  the  cultivated  lands  of  Southern  Cali- 
fornia lie  upon  the  seaward  slope. 

Point  Conception,  near  the  western  end  of  the  Santa 
Ynez  Range,  marks  an  abrupt  change  in  the  direction 
of  the  coast.  This  range  belongs  in  the  coast  system, 
but  the  mountains  farther  inland,  extending  in  the  same 
direction,  but  lying  between  the  Mohave  Desert  and  the 
cultivated  portions  of  Southern  California,  are  known  in 
general  terms  as  the  Sierra  Madre.  The  middle  portion 
of  this  great  mountain  block  is  called  the  San  Gabriel, 
and  the  eastern  portion  the  San  Bernardino  Range. 
Grizzly  Peak,  in  the  latter  range,  which  rises  over  11,500 
feet,  is  the  greatest  elevation  of  Southern  California. 

South  of  the  San  Bernardino  Range,  across  the  San  Gor- 
gonio  Pass,  rises  the  steep  slopes  of  Mt.  San  Jacinto.  This 
mountain  stands  at  the  northern  end  of  the  Peninsula 
Range,  which  extends  south  across  San  Diego  County  into 
Lower  California. 

The  Santa  Ana  Range  separates  the  broad  valleys  at  the 
western  base  of  Mt.  San  Jacinto  from  the  ocean.  Its 
steep  eastern  slope,  like  the  southern  face  of  the  Sierra 
Madre  and  the  slopes  of  San  Jacinto,  is  the  result  of  fis- 
sures in  the  earth's  crust,  the  crust  upon  one  side  having 
been  raised  and  upon  the  other  dropped.  Lake  Elsinore 
lies  in  a  basin  caused  by  the  sinking  of  the  land. 


76  CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 

The  Santa  Ana  Mountain  axis  extends  northerly,  form- 
ing the  Puente  Hills,  and  rises  again  in  the  Verdugo 
Mountains,  north  of  Los  Angeles.  Reaching  westward 
from  Los  Angeles  is  the  Santa  Monica  Range,  which  appears 
to  be  a  continuation  of  the  submerged  range  represented 
by  the  Channel  Islands. 

Southern  California  is  completely  shut  off  from  the  rest 
of  the  state  by  mountains.  Upon  the  east  there  is  but  one 
low  pass,  the  San  Gorgonio,  through  which  the  Southern 
Pacific  Railroad  has  been  built.  The  Cajon  pass,  by  means 
of  which  the  Santa  Fe  gains  access  to  Southern  California, 
marks  a  noted  depression  in  the  Sierra  Madre.  The  old 
Salt  Lake  trail  went  through  this  pass. 

Farther  west  there  are  two  passes  leading  north  into 
the  Mohave  Desert.  One  of  these,  tlie  Soledad  Pass,  is 
utilized  by  the  Southern  Pacific,  which,  after  crossing  the 
desert,  reaches  the  Great  Valley  by  the  Tehachapi  Pass. 
West  of  the  Soledad  Pass  is  the  Francisquito  Pass,  once 
used  by  the  old  stage  line  from  Los  Angeles  to  Bakersfield. 
The  only  wagon  road  leading  north,  which  does  not  take 
one  into  the  deserts,  is  by  Ventura  and  Santa  Barbara. 

The  broad  coastal  plain  upon  which  Santa  Barbara 
stands  is  shut  in  by  mountains.  The  Santa  Clara  Valley 
of  Ventura  County  is  also  hemmed  in  by  mountains.  San 
Fernando  is  an  important  valley  separated  from  the  plain 
of  Los  Angeles  by  the  Santa  Monica  Range. 

The  Los  Angeles  plain  is  the  largest  area  of  nearly  level 
land  in  Southern  California.  It  is  separated  by  low  hills 
from  other  valleys  to  the  east  along  the  foot  of  the  Sierra 
Madre.  The  extensive  region  of  low  relief,  of  which 
Riverside  is  the  centre,  is  one  of  very  ancient  mountains 
nearly  worn  away. 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA 


7T 


Southern  California  has  the  typical  physiographic  fea- 
tures of  the  arid  region.  It  is  important  to  distinguish 
the  three  main  types.  There  is  (l)-the  mountains  with 
more  or  less  precipitous  rocky  sides,  (2)  the  long,  gently 
inclined  slopes  about  the  bases  of  the  mountains  made  up 
of  the  waste  which  the  water  has  carried  into  the  valleys, 
and  (3)  the  river  bottoms  of  sand  and  alluvium.    Each  of 


Orange  groves  in  Southern  California,  snowy  mountains  in  tlie  distance. 

tliese  divisions  has  its  economic  value.  The  mountains 
condense  the  moisture  which  furnishes  the  water  supply 
through  the  long  summers.  The  waste  slopes  (Fig.  47) 
are  easily  irrigated  and  possess  the  proper  climate  for 
raising  subtropical  fruits,  while  the  bottom  lands,  cooler 
and  more  moist,  are  adapted  to  alfalfa,  berries,  and  vege- 
tables. If  it  were  not  for  the  high  mountains,  there  would 
be  little  water  for  irrigation,  and  Southern  California 
would  be  a  semi-desert. 


78 


CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 


Much  of  the  pUiin  of  Los  Angeles  and  also  the  mesa 
lying  between  the  mountains  and  the  ocean,  in  the 
vicinity  of  San  Diego,  were  formed  under  the  ocean 
when  the  land  was  submerged.  The  streams  of  South- 
ern California  present  curious  features.  They  appear 
larger  near  their  heads  than  at  their  mouths.  This  is 
because  of  the  long  distance  which  they  have  to  flow  over 
sandy  beds  exposed  to  the  hot  sun.     The  sand  takes  up 


Fig.  48. 
Drying  English  walnuts  in  Orange  County. 


much  of  the  surface  water,  but  it  can  always  be  obtained 
in  wells. 

The  climate  near  the  coast  is  remarkably  mild  and  uni- 
form. Fogs  occur  in  summer,  but  they  are  not  as  cold  a§ 
farther  north.  As  one  goes  inland  the  changes  between 
winter  and  summer,  and  day  and  night,  become  much 
greater.  Snow  covers  the  mountains  in  winter,  while  a 
short  distance  below  orange  trees  are  in  blossom  (Fig.  47). 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA  79 

The  rainfall  increases  with  elevation.  The  rainfall  of  any 
locality  is  less  if  mountains  lie  between  it  and  the  ocean. 
Resources.  —  Southern  California  is  most  noted  for  its 
orange  groves  and  pleasant  climate.  A  few  years  ago  the 
orchards  were  mostly  confined  to  the  gardens  about  the 
old  Spanish  towns  and  missions.  Oranges  were  first 
grown  upon  an  extensive  scale  at  Riverside.  It  is  now 
known  that  there  is  a  large  area  suitable  for  the  raising  of 


Fig.  49. 
Threshing  beans  in  Ventura  County. 

fruit ;  the  amount  produced  need  be  limited  only  by  the 
amount  of  water  available  for  irrigation. 

In  addition  to  the  citrus  fruits,  figs,  olives,  grapes,  and 
walnuts  are  extensively  grown.  Alfalfa  does  well  upon 
the  lowlands,  and  near  the  ocean,  in  Orange  County,  these 
lands  are  largely  given  over  to  growing  celery  (Fig.  50). 
Fully  a  thousand  car-loads  are  shipped  East  yearly. 

Beans  form  the  most  important  crop  near  the  ocean, 
especially  in  Ventura  and  Santa  Barbara  counties.  Much 
grain  is  grown  in  the  larger  valleys,  where  water  is  not 


80 


CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 


available  for  ir- 
rigation ;  and 
upon  the  lands 
of  those  old 
Spanish  grants 
which  have  not 
been  cut  up, 
many  cattle  and 
sheep  are  kept. 
Southern  Cal- 
ifornia is  noted 
for  its  large 
production  of 
honey.  Bee 

ranches  (Fig.  51)  are  scattered  through  the  caiions,  where 
the  white  sage  abounds,  for  the  flowers  of  this  bush  make 
excellent  honey. 


Fig.  50. 
Celery  fields  in  Orange  County. 


Fig.  51. 
A  bee  ranch  in  Southeiii  California. 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA 


81 


Gold  is  found  in  the  mountains,  especially  in  San  Diego 
and  northern  Los  Angeles  counties.  There  are  valuable 
deposits  of  pottery  clay  and  some  coal  near  Elsinore. 

The  most  important  mineral  product  is  petroleum.  The 
oil  fields  are  found  in  the  Puente  hills,  in  the  city  of  Los 
Angeles  (Fig.  52),  and  through  nearly  the  whole  of  the 
mountains  bordering  the  Santa  Clara  River,  in  Ventura 
County.     In  Santa  Barbara  the  Summerland  field,  in  the 


Oil  wells  in  the  city  of  Los  Angeles. 


edge  of  the  ocean,  is  an  interesting  one.  There  are  also 
near  Santa  Barbara  extensive  deposits  of  asphaltum  and 
bituminous  rock.   ' 

Irrigation.  —  A  large  portion  of  California  has  so  little 
rainfall  that  it  cannot  be  thickly  settled  and  developed 
without  irrigation.  The  central  and  southern  parts  in 
particular  require  the  artificial  application  of  water  to  the 


82 


CALIFOBNIA   SUPPLEMENT 


soil.  Lands  which  originally  supported  only  a  few  half- 
starved  cattle  have,  with  the  turning  of  the  mountain 
streams  upon  them,  become  veritable  gardens  and  capable 
of  supporting  a  large  population. 

The  streams  carry  more  water  in  the  winter  than  is 
needed  for  irrigation,  and  to  preserve  this  surplus  reser- 
voirs have  been  constructed  at  favorable  points  near  their 
headwaters.  These  hold  back  much  of  the  water  until  sum- 
mer, when  it  is  used  as  needed.  Where  the  streams  issue 
from  the  mountain  caiions  the  water  is  taken  out  in  ditches 
or  pipes  and  conducted  around  the  hillsides  at  a  uniform 

grade  until  the  area 
to  be  irrigated  is 
reached  (Fig.  53). 
The  gently  inclined 
waste  slopes  about 
the  mountains  have 
the  best  climate  and 
soil  for  fruit  grow- 
ing and  are  easily 
watered. 

The  large  ditch  is 
divided  into  smaller 
ones,  which  lead  to 
the  different  or- 
chards. Furrows  are 
made  between  the  rows  of  trees,  and  the  water  is  allowed 
to  flow  through  these  until  the  ground  is  thoroughly 
soaked.  Each  orchard  has  the  use  of  a  certain  amount 
of  water,  after  which  it  is  turned  off  and  taken  to  the  next 
one.  This  process  has  to  be  repeated  several  times  during 
the  summer  to  keep  the  trees  in  good  condition. 


Fig,  53. 

Water  for  irrigation  is  often  conducted  around 
the  mountain  sides  in  a  flume. 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA  83 

Santa  Barbara  and  Vicinity.  —  Santa  Barbara  is  pleas- 
antly situated  near  the  eastern  end  of  a  broad  coastal 
plain  lying  between  the  Santa  Inez  Mountains  and  the 
ocean.  The  region  is  protected  by  high  mountains  upon 
the  north,  while  seaward  rises  the  picturesque  Channel 
Islands.  For  this  reason  the  climate  is  mild  and  pleasant. 
Oranges  are  grown  here,  but  the  main  fruits  are  olives  and 
walnuts.  West  of  the  city  is  one  of  the  largest  olive 
orchards  in  the  world.  Santa  Barbara  has  become  noted 
as  a  tourist  resort. 

Valley  of  the  Santa  Clara  River.  —  Ventura  is  the  chief 
city  of  this  section.  It  lies  near  the  ocean  upon  the 
borders  of  a  large  and  rich  valley.  In  the  lower  portion 
of  the  valley  large  quantities  of  beans  are  grown,  while 
farther  up  are  orchards  of  oranges  and  ot^er  fruits.  Near 
Peru  is  one  of  the  largest  fig  orchards  in  the  state. 

The  oil  fields  adjacent  to  the  valley  are  the  oldest  in 
the  state.  The  oil  is  carried  to  Ventura  in  pipes  and 
from  there  shipped  by  boat.  Some  of  tlie  oil  wells  are 
more  than  half  a  mile  deep.  In  places  oil  is  obtained  by 
running  tunnels  into  the  sides  of  the  mountains.  There 
are  also  large  springs  of  thick,  tarlike  oil  accompanied  by 
disagreeable-tasting  mineral  waters.  In  the  Eastern 
states  petroleum  generally  flows  from  the  wells,  but  here 
it  has  to  be  pumped. 

The  oil  comes  from  shales,  which  were  formed  long  ago 
in  the  bed  of  the  ocean.  The  shales  consist  largely  of  the 
remains  of  microscopic  organisms  whose  bodies,  as  they 
sank  to  the  bottom,  gathered  in  beds,  and  at  last,  buried 
deeply  under  other  beds,  gave  up  a  part  of  their  organic 
matter  in  the  form  of  the  dark,  thick  oil  which  we  call 
petroleum.     This  oil   soaked  into  sandstones,  which  are 


84 


CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 


more  porous  than  other  rocks,  and  there  the  well-driller 
finds  it.  Petroleum  has  no  relation  to  coal,  which  is 
formed  from  the  remains  of  the  vegetation  of  swampy  or 
marshy  places. 

Los  Angeles  and  Vicinity.  —  No  other  city  in  California, 
except  San  Francisco  at  the  time  of  the  discovery  of 
gold,  has  had  so  rapid  a  growth  as  Los  Angeles  has  had 
since  1880.  The  pueblo  of  Los  Angeles  was  founded 
about  1780.  Its  location  is  upon  the  west  bank  of  the 
Los  Angeles  River,  a  little  below  where  it  issues  from 
the  hills  on  to  the  extensive  plain  which  stretches  south 
and  west  to  the  ocean. 

In  1880  Los  Angeles  had  a  population  of  only  one 
thousand.     It  had  hardly  broken  away  from  the  easy  life 

of  Spanish  Califor- 
nia. Then  came  a 
pe  riod  of  awakening, 
with  an  influx  of 
people  into  South- 
ern California.  Los 
Angeles  had  always 
been  tlie  most  im- 
portant centre  of 
this  portion  of  the 
state,  and  when 
the  advantages  of 
Southern  California  became  understood,  the  city,  because 
of  its  central  location  and  convenience  as  a  railroad  centre 
and  distributing  point,  began  to  grow  rapidly.  In  1900 
it  had  gained  a  population  of  over  one  hundred  thousand. 
Los  Angeles  has  a  pleasant  climate,  blending  the  cool- 
ness of  the  ocean  and  the  heat  of  the  interior.     For  miles 


Fk;.  54. 
A  home  in  Los  Angeles. 


^      PL 
Vincents 


Railroads  thus  : Electric  Lines  thus  :-• - — 

0  1  ??  *  5  6  7  a  9         10 

6;2  MILES   TO  1    INCH. 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA 


85 


■■ 

^H^H 

^ 

Fig.  55. 
City  of  Riverside. 

in  every  direction  there  are  rich  lands  adapted  to  a  great 
variety  of  products.  The  location  of  the  ancient  pueblo  was 
determined  by  the  abundance  of  water  for  irrigation  and 
not  for  its  commercial  advantages,  for  it  is  twenty-five 
miles  from  the  small  har- 
bor of  San  Pedro.  An 
extensive  breakwater  is 
being  constructed  at  that 
place,  which  will  make  a 
roadstead  for  large  ves- 
sels. Santa  Monica  lies 
upon  the  ocean,  fifteen 
miles  west  of  Los  Ange- 
les ;  Redondo  is  south- 
west,    San     Pedro     and 

Long   Beach   south.     These   are   all    important   summer 
resorts. 

A  few  miles  northeast  of  Los  Angeles,  at  the  foot  of 
the  San  Gabriel  Range,  is  the  beautiful  city  of  Pasadena, 


Fig.  50. 
An  artesian  well,  Orange  County. 


86  CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 

which  is  widely  known  for  its  healthful  and  pleasant 
climate.  The  development  of  the  fruit  industry  has  pro- 
duced other  cities  to  the  south  and  east.  Among  the  most 
important  of  these  are  San  Bernardino,  Riverside,  and 
Santa  Ana.  About  Riverside  can  be  seen  most  clearly 
the  transformation  which  water  has  accomplished  in  a  dry 
and  semi-arid  region.  Lands  originally  covered  with 
scattered  bushes,  and  of  scarcely  any  value  even  for  graz- 
ing purposes,  are  now  dotted  with  orange  and  lemon 
orchards  and  pretty  homes. 

Santa  Ana  lies  south  of  Los  Angeles.  The  region 
about  is  very  fertile  and  abundantly  supplied  with  water, 
much  of  which  comes  from  artesian  wells.  Upon  the 
lowlands  of  the  Santa  Ana  River  large  quantities  of  sugar 
beets,  celery,  and  alfalfa  are  grown. 

San  Diego.  —  The  oldest  settlement  in  the  state  is 
upon  San  Diego  Bay.  It  is  now  known  as  Old  San 
Diego.  The  present  city  is  situated  upon  the  bay  four 
miles  to  the  south.  San  Diego  Bay  is,  next  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, the  most  commodious  and  safe  harbor  upon  ther 
coast  of  California.  For  this  reason  the  city  of  San  Diego 
is  destined  to  become  one  of  the  most  important  commer- 
cial centres  of  the  state. 

In  the  valleys  back  of  San  Diego  there  are  many  orange 
and  lemon  orchards,  and  vineyards  where  the  raisin 
grape  is  grown.  At  Chula  Vista,  near  San  Diego,  is  the 
largest  lemon  orchard  in  the  world.  The  apples  pro- 
duced in  the  mountains  of  San  Diego  Count}^  are  the  best 
in  Southern  California. 

Upon  the  Coronado  Peninsula  is  one  of  the  most  attrac- 
tive winter  resorts  upon  the  coast  of  California.  San 
Diego  has  a  particularly  mild  and  uniform  climate. 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA  87 

Appropriate  to  Southern  California  are  the  lines  from 
the  song  of  Mignon  :  — 

"  Know'st  thou  the  land  where  the  lemon  trees  bloom, 
Where  the  gold  orange  glows  in  the  green  thicket's  gloom, 
Where  the  wind  ever  soft  from  the  blue  heaven  blows, 
And  groves  are  of  myrtle,  and  olive,  and  rose  ?  " 


V 


The  Province  of  the  Klamath  Mountains 

Physiography.  —  Under  the  title  of  Klamath  Moun- 
tains is  included  a  group  of  irregular  mountain  ranges  in 
northwestern  California  and  southern  Oregon.  These 
mountains  are  continuous  with  the  Coast  Ranges  to  the 
south  but  are  higher  and  more  rugged.  In  places  they 
reach  an  elevation  of  over  nine  thousand  feet.  They  are 
mostly  composed  of  very  old  rocks,  like  the  Sierra  Nevada, 
and  resemble  it  also  in  their  physiographic  features  and 
mineral  resources. 

The  most  lofty  of  the  ranges  included  in  the  Klamath 
Mountains  are  the  Salmon,  Siskiyou,  Trinity,  and  Scotts 
mountains.  The  whole  area  is  traversed  by  deep  and 
narrow  canons  with  few  valleys  of  any  size.  Upon  the 
eastern  side  of  the  Klamath  Mountains,  and  partly  sepa- 
rating them  from  the  volcanic  peaks  of  the  Cascade 
Range,  is  Shasta  Valley,  while  within  the  mountains  are 
Scotts,  Trinity,  and  Hayfork  valleys. 

The  most  important  river  is  the  Klamath.  It  rises  in 
the  Klamath  lakes  of  southern  Oregon  and  flows  south- 
westerly in  a  deep  cafion  directly  across  the  Klamath 
Mountains.  Its  main  tributary  is  the  Trinity  River. 
The  Sacramento  River  rises  near  Mount  Shasta  and  flows 
across  the  eastern  part  of   the  Klamath   Mountains  in  a 


88 


CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 


picturesque  canon,  which  gives  a  direct  and  convenient 
pass  for  the  railroad  as  far  as  Shasta  Valley.  The  Siski- 
you Mountains  join  a  spur  of  the  Cascades  upon  the 
northern  boundary  of  California,  so  that  entrance  to  Ore- 
gon is  made  difficult,  both  for  railroad  and  wagon  road. 

Mineral  springs  abound  in  the  caiion  of  the  Sacramento, 
and  it  is  occupied  by  many  camping  parties  during  the 

summer  months.  The  Mc- 
Cloud,  farther  east,  is  another 
picturesque  river,  which  is  fed 
by  underground  streams  from 
Mount  Shasta. 

Natural  Resources.  —  Gold- 
bearing  quartz  veins  are  found 
throughout  nearly  all  portions 
of  the  Klamath  Mountains. 
Mining  is  therefore  the  chief 
industry.  Extensive  deposits 
of  gravels  left  by  the  ancient 
streams  are  found  along  the 
sides  of  the  valleys  and  canons. 
These  contain  so  much  gold 
that  hydraulic  mining  has  been 
more  important  than  quartz 
mining.  Copper  is  an  impor- 
tant mineral  product  of  the  Klamath  Mountains.  At  Iron 
Mountain,  a  few  miles  northwest  of  Redding,  is  the  largest 
copper  mine  in  California.  Smelters  for  reducing  the  ore 
and  recovering  the  metallic  copper  have  been  erected  at 
Keswick  upon  the  Sacramento  River.  Other  large  copper 
deposits  occur  at  Copper  City,  north  of  Redding.  The 
water  flowing  from  these  mines  contains  copper  in  solution. 


Fig.  57. 
Sugar  pine  forest. 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA  89 

and  if  pieces  of  scrap  iron  are  left  in  it  for  a  time,  they 
become  covered  with  bright  metallic  copper. 

Lumbering  stands  next  to  mining  in  importance.  The 
mountains  are  usually  forested,  but  the  most  of  the  mills 
are  located  near  the  head  of  the  Sacramento. 

With  the  exception  of  the  three  or  four  valleys  of  the 
Klamath  Mountains  already  mentioned,  there  is  but  little 
land  suitable  for  agricultural  purposes  or  fruit-raising. 
The  fruits  of  the  temperate  climate  raised  here  are  excel- 
lent, especially  the  apples.  The  chief  towns  are  Yreka, 
Weaverville,  and  Dunsmuir. 

Volcanic  Plateau  Region.  —  The  volcanic  plateau  region 
of  northeastern  California  embraces  Lassen,  Modoc,  and 
a  large  part  of  Shasta  and  Siskiyou  counties.  It  is 
drained  mainly  by  the  Pitt  River. 

The  extensive  plains  and  valleys  of  this  region  have  an 
elevation  of  from  three  to  five  thousand  feet,  and  conse- 
quently a  climate  quite  different  from  that  of  the  other 
settled  portions  of  California.  The  winters  are  cold  and 
snowy,  and  the  thermometer  often  falls  many  degrees 
below  zero. 

The  Sierra  Nevada  Range  terminates  on  the  north  in 
Plumas  County,  where  the  old  rocks,  of  which  it  is  com- 
posed, disappear  under  the  lavas  of  the  volcanic  plateau. 
The  range  of  mountains  which  extends  northerly,  and 
apparently  continuous  with  it,  is  a  part  of  the  Cascade 
Range,  so  prominent  in  Oregon  and  Washington.  The 
southern  peak  of  the  Cascade  Range,  then,  is  Lassen 
Peak.  It  is,  next  to  Mount  Shasta,  the  highest  volcanic 
peak  in  California.  Near  by  is  the  most  interesting  place 
in  the  state  to  study  volcanic  action.  At  Cinder  Cone 
the  last  volcanic  eruption  took  place.      The  remains  of 


90 


CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 


trees  killed  by  the  falling  volcanic  ashes  are  still  to  be 
seen.  Other  extinct  volcanoes  rise  from  the  high  ridge 
extending  from^  Lassen  Peak  toward  Mount  Shasta. 
The  latter  mountain,  with  its  dark  fringe  of  forest  and  its 
snow-capped  summit,  presents  the  grandest  sight  of  any 
mountain  in  California.  It  is^  with  the  exception  of 
Mount  Rainier,  the  highest  of  the  great  volcanoes  of  the 
Cascade  Range,  towering  14,380  feet  above  the  sea. 


Fig.  58. 
Mount  Shasta  in  winter. 


Many  mountains,  some  of  which  are  small  volcanic 
cones,  dot  the  surface  of  the  volcanic  plateau  province. 
It  is  bordered  upon  the  east  by  the  Warner  Range,  which, 
like  the  Sierra  Nevada,  was  uplifted  as  a  result  of  a  frac- 
ture in  the  earth's  crust.  East  of  this  high  range  lies  the 
fertile  Surprise  Valley,  without  drainage  to  the  ocean. 

Pitt  River  traverses  the  broad  plain-like  valleys,  cutting 
canons  where  mountain  ranges  lie  in  the  way,  and  finally 
joins  the  Sacramento. 


PHYSIOGBAPHT  OF  CALIFORNIA  91 

Flows  of  lava,  so  recent  that  the  soil  has  not  yet 
gathered  upon  l:heir  surfaces,  are  to  be  seen  in  many 
places.  One  of  the  most  rugged  of  these  lava  flows  is 
known  as  the  Modoc  Lava  Beds,  lying  close  to  Rhett" 
Lake.  It  wiis  in  the  caverns  and  crevices  of  this  lava 
bed  that  the  Modoc  Indians,  under  Captain  Jack,  so  long 
resisted  the  soldiers. 

Over  portions  of  this  lava  region,  although  the  precipi- 
tation is  considerable,  there  are  no  surface  streams.  The 
water  sinking  through  the  fissures  of  the  lava  forms 
underground  streams.  Sometimes  in  canons,  or  at  the 
edge  of  lava  fields,  these  burst  forth  in  large  springs. 
The  most  remarkable  stream  of  this  kind  is  Fall  River,  in 
eastern  Shasta  County. 

Valleys  or  basins  without  outlets  occur  over  the  plateau 
region.  All  were  formerly  occupied  by  lakes,  but  now 
the  most  of  them  have  either  dried  up  or  have  been 
drained  by  Pitt  River.  Goose  Lake  and  Rhett  Lake  are 
the  largest  remaining  lakes  without  outlet.  The  climatic 
conditions  toward  the  east  are  like  those  of  the  Great 
Basin,  into  which  the  plateau  region  blends. 

Resources.  —  The  volcanic  rocks  of  the  plateau  region 
are  almost  free  from  mineral  deposits,  and  consequently 
there  is  little  mining. 

Tlie  western  portion,  between  Mount  Shasta  and  Lassen 
Peak,  lies  within  the  great  forest  belt  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada-Cascade  Range.  Very  little  of  this  great  body  of 
timber  has  as  yet  been  cut,  although  sawmills  are  at  work 
in  a  number-  of  places.  Eastward  the  rainfall  becomes  less 
and  the  elevated  plain-like  valleys  are  treeless,  but  covered 
with  sage-brush  and  grasses.  In  this  section  agriculture 
and  stock-raising  are  the  chief  industries.     Owing  to  the 


92  CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 

distance  from  market  no  more  grain  or  other  agricul- 
tural products  are  raised  than  are  needed  for  home  use. 
However,  cattle  and  horses,  which  can  be  driven  to  market 
at  little  expense,  are  raised  in  large  numbers.  The  open 
valleys  and  low  mountains  afford  good  pasturage. 

The  Great  Basin  Province 

Physiography  and  Climate.  —  The  Great  Basin  includes 
(p.  5)  a  vast  extent  of  country  with  no  external  drainage. 
The  Sierra  Nevada  and  Sierra  Madre  ranges  separate  it 
from  the  ocean  on  the  west.  The  Wasatch  Range  of  Utah 
bounds  it  upon  the  east,  while  upon  the  north  and  south 
it  is  separated  by  only  a  slight  rise  of  land  from  the 
basins  of  the  Columbia  and  Colorado  rivers  respectively. 

This  area  must  not  be  thought  of  as  one  simple  basin, 
but  as  being  broken  up  into  smaller  basins  by  many 
detached  mountains  and  mountain  ranges.  The  lowest 
portion  of  each  of  these  smaller  basins  or  valleys  is  known 
as  a  sink,  for  here  if  the  rainfall  upon  the  surrounding 
mountains  is  sufficient,  the  waters  gather  and  form  shal- 
low lakes,  which  may  last  from  year  to  year  or  dry  up 
every  summer.  If  there  is  little  rain  upon  the  mountains, 
there  are  no  streams  at  all  entering  the  sink. 

A  few  thousand  years  ago  the  lakes  were  larger  and 
more  numerous,  for  the  rainfall  was  then  greater.  Now 
the  precipitation  in  the  Great  Basin  is  small  and  irregular. 
Occasionally  heavy  rains,  called  cloudbursts,  occur  in  the 
mountains.  The  water,  because  there  is  little  soil  and 
vegetation  to  retain  it,  runs  rapidly  into  the  canons,  and 
then  out  on  to  the  sands  of  the  desert.  These  torrents 
carry  along  sand,  gravel,  and  even  huge  boulders. 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA  93 

About  one-third  of  the  area  of  California  lies  within  the 
Great  Basin.  It  is  an  area  of  much  interest,  for  it  includes 
the  highest  mountains  and  the  lowest  sinks  of  the  Great 
Basin.  It  is  an  area  also  of  great  mineral  wealth.  The 
precious  metals  are  found  in  the  mountains,  and  salt,  soda, 
and  borax  upon  the  great  desert  valleys. 

Trace" out  the  boundaries  of  the  Great  Basin  upon  the 
relief  map.     Note  that  in  the  Mohave  Desert  the  moun- 


Fm.  59. 
Upou  the  borders  of  the  Colorado  Desert. 

tains  are  low  and  irregular,  but  that  east  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada  there  are  other  high  ranges  extending  north  and 
south  parallel  with  the  Sierra. 

The  first  mountain  range  east  of  the  Sierra  Nevada 
is  the  Inyo-White  Mountain  Range,  some  peaks  of  which 
rise  almost  as  high  as  the  Sierra  Nevada.  Then  comes 
the  Panamint  Range,  and  east  of  that.  Death  Valley,  one 
hundred  and  ten  feet  below  the  level  of  the  ocean.  It  is 
one  of  the  hottest  and  most  arid  regions  of  the  United 


94 


CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 


States.     It   is  many  miles   broad,  and  people   trying    to 
cross  it  during  the  heat  of  summer  often  perish. 

The  (Colorado  Deseri  lies  in  the  extreme  southeastern 
portion  of  the  state.  It  was  formerly  occupied  by  the 
waters  of  the  Gulf  of  California,  but  the  Colorado  River 
built  its  delta  southward  and  cut  off  the  northern  portion 
of  this  ancient  gulf,  thus  leaving  a  lake.  The  water  of 
the  Colorado  River  occasionally  flows  into  this  sink,  but 
usually  it  is  dry  and  covered  with  a  layer  of  salt. 

Surprise  Valley,  in  northeastern  California,  is  occupied 
by  two  shallow  lakes,  which  frequently  dry  up.     South 

of  this  valley, 
and  close  under 
the  Sierra  Ne- 
vada Mountains, 
is  Honey  Lake, 
which  has  an 
extensive  and 
highly  cultivated 
valley  about 
it.  Contrasting 
strongly  with 
the  *  shallow  al- 
kaline waters  of 
this  lake  are  ^ 
the  pure,  deep 
waters  of  Lake  Tahoe.  It  is  situated  at  an  elevation  of 
over  six  thousand  feet,  near  the  crest  of  the  Sierra  Nevada 
Mountains.  The  mountains  on  the  western  shore  are  much 
resorted  to  in  summer. 

Mono  Lake  and  the  region  about  it  are  full  of  interest. 
Although  five  hundred  feet  higher  than    Lake  Tahoe  it 


Fig.  00. 
Earthquake  fissures  near  Mono  Lake. 


PHYSIOGRAPHT  OF  CALIFORNIA  95 

has  no  outlet,  and  is  strongly  alkaline.  There  has  been 
quite  recent  volcanic  activity  there.  Upon  the  northern 
shore  of  the  lake  are  open  earthquake  fissures,  while  to  the 
south  there  is  a  group  of  mountains  known  as  the  Mono 
Craters.  These  were  formed  by  eruptions  of  lava  and 
volcanic  ashes,  and  exhibit  remarkably  perfect  craters. 

Owens  Lake  is  the  southernmost  of  the  large  lakes  of  the 
Great  Basin.  It  is  supplied  by  Owens  River,  which  rises 
in  the  high  Sierra  and  flows  south  between  that  range  and 


Fig.  61. 
Getting  soda  by  the  evaporation  of  the  water  of  Owens  Lake. 

the  Inyo- White  Mountain  Range.  The  water  of  Owens 
Lake  is  so  alkaline  that  soda  in  commercial  quantities  is 
obtained  from  it.  The  lake  was  once  fresh,  for  during 
the  glacial  period,  when  the  precipitation  was  greater, 
it  had  an  outlet  to  the  south  into  other  great  sinks,  which 
are  now  dry.  The  bed  of  the  old  outlet  is  easily  followed 
for  many  miles.  It  is  used  as  a  wagon  road,  and  will 
undoubtedly  sometime  be  occupied  by  a  railroad. 

The  only  stream  of  any  size  entering  the  Mohave  Desert 
is   the  Mohave  River,  which  after  flowing  one  hundred 


96  CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 

miles  disappears  in  the  sands.  Occasionally,  when  the 
spring  rains  fall  at  just  the  right  intervals,  the  desert  is 
covered  for  a  short  time  with  a  carpet  of  brilliant  flowers, 
which  quickly  fruit,  dry  up,  and  are  obliterated  by  the 
drifting  sands.  The  vegetation  of  the  desert  has  already 
been  described  (p.  19). 

Mining  for  the  Metals.  —  Gold  is  the  most  important 
mineral  found  in  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains,  but  in  the 
ranges  of  the  Great  Basin  silver  and  lead  occur  in  abun- 
dance.    The  great  Comstock  Lode,  at  Virginia  City,  in 


Fig.  62. 
Bed  of  an  ancient  river.    Former  outlet  of  Owens  Lake. 

western  Nevada,  was  for  many  years  the  most  noted 
mining  camp  in  all  the  west.  Hundreds  of  millions  in 
gold  and  silver  were  obtained  there. 

Bodie,  near  Lake  Mono,  is  the  most  important  mining 
town  in  eastern  California.  Many  millions  in  gold  have 
been  produced  there.  At  Randsburg,  in  the  Mohave 
Desert,  and  near  the  Colorado  River,  are  other  important 
mines.  Mineral  deposits,  often  of  great  value,  are  found 
in  all  the  mountains  of  the  Great  Basin.  Mining  is  car- 
ried on  with  difficulty,  because  of  the  lack  of  water  and 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  CALIFORNIA  97 

fuel.  The  discovery  of  abundance  of  petroleum  is  of 
great  importance  in  the  working  of  these  mines. 

Borax  and  Salt.  —  Although  so  desolate  and  apparently 
useless,  many  of  the  desert  valleys,  or  sinks,  contain  impor- 
tant deposits  of  such  minerals  as  borax,  soda,  and  salt. 
Salt  has  been  obtained  chiefly  from  the  Salton  Basin,  in 
the  Colorado  Desert.  It  occurs  on  the  surface  and  also 
as  a  strong  brine  mixed  with  the  clay  underlying  the  sink. 
The  salt  is  scraped  from  the  surface  and  is  taken  to  the 
drying  house.  The  salt  is  so  pure  that  it  does  not  need 
further  treatment,  and  is  sacked  for  shipping.  As  fast  as 
it  is  gathered,  the  salt  keeps  coming  to  the  surface  through 
the  process  called  efflorescence.  Evaporation  causes  the 
moisture  to  move  upward  through  the  clays,  bringing  with 
it  the  salt  in  solution. 

In  the  eastern  portion  of  the  Mohave  Desert  are  large 
deposits  of  rock  salt.  The  valleys  in  which  these  lie  were 
formerly  connected  with  the  water  of  the  ocean  through 
the  Gulf  of  California. 

One  of  the  most  important  products  of  the  deserts  of 
California  is  borax.  It  is  a  valuable  substance  used  for 
many  purposes,  but  before  the  deposits  in  these  deserts 
were  discovered  it  was  much  more  expensive  than  now. 
The  desert  basins  in  which  the  borax  occurs  were  formerly 
occupied  by  lakes.  The  streams  flowing  into  these  lakes, 
and  also  springs  in  their  bottoms,  brought  different  salts 
dissolved  from  the  rocks  over  or  through  which  they 
flowed.  In  one  place  the  predominant  mineral  thus 
brought  was  common  salt,  in  another  soda,  in  another 
borax.  When  these  lakes  dried  up,  the  substances  dis- 
solved in  their  waters  were  left  mixed  with  the  clay 
upon  the  bottom.     As  the  mud  dried  upon  the  surface, 


98  CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 

efflorescence  took  place,  as  described  in  the  case  of  the 
salt. 

The  borax,  after  being  scraped  from  the  desert,  is  dis- 
solved in  hot  water  and  is  recovered  comparatively  pure 
by  evaporation.  It  is  then  transported  to  the  nearest 
railroad  station  in  great  wagons,  which  are  drawn  by  many 
spans  of  mules. 

Agricultural  Resources,  Stock-raising.  —  Though  little 
rain  falls  upon  the  desert  and  its  soil  is  apparently  of 
slight  value,  yet  wherever  water  can  be  obtained  it  pro- 
duces abundantly. 

Numerous  streams  flow  down  the  eastern  side  of  the 
Sierra  Nevada  Mountains,  and  from  Honey  Lak^  Valley 
upon  the  north  to  Owens  Valley  upon  the  south,  they  fur- 
nish the  water  for  irrigating  many  thousands  of  acres. 

The  Truckee,  Carson,  and  Walker  rivers  supply  the 
water  which  makes  fertile  many  of  the  valleys  of  western 
Nevada.  Carson  Valley  in  particular  is  known  as  the 
garden  spot  of  Nevada. 

The  streams  entering  Owens  Valley  furnish  water  for 
large  tracts  of  land,  which  are  partly  devoted  to  orchards 
and  partly  to  the  raising  of  horses  and  cattle. 

Character  of  the  Population.  —  The  population  of  Cali- 
fornia embraces  people  of  many  nationalities.  Its  attrac- 
tions have  appealed,  not  only  to  people  in  all  parts  of 
the  United  States,  but  to  those  of  almost  every  foreign 
country. 

Among  the  immigrants  are  many  thousands  of  Chinese, 
who  engage  as  laborers  in  nearly  all  the  occupations. 
They  form  the  least  desirable  class,  and  their  further 
entrance  has  been  restricted. 

The  early  Spanish  population  has  left  a  lasting  impress 


PHFSIOGRAPUY  OF  CALIFORNIA  99 

upon  the  state.  We  are  indebted  to  it  for  many  words 
which  have  come  into  use,  and  for  the  attractive  architec- 
ture of  the  old  mission  buildings. 

The  Italians  are  mostly  vineyardists  and  the  Portuguese 
fishermen,  although  both  also  engage  in  market  gardening. 
The  Swiss  are  mostly  dairymen. 

Government  and  Education.  —  The  government  of  Cali- 
fornia is  much  like  that  of  the  other  states.  The  laws 
are  made  by  the  legislature,  which  meets  everyrtwo  years. 
There  are  two  branches,  the  Senate  and  Assembly,  and 
their  enactments,  unless  passed  by  a  two-thirds  vote,  must 
be  signed  by  the  Governor  in  order  to  become  valid. 

The  highest  tribunal  for  the  settlement  of  disputes  is 
the  Supreme  Court.  There  are  also  County  Superior 
Courts,  Justices'  Courts,  and  Police  Courts. 

There  are  fifty-seven  counties,  each  of  which  has  its  own 
local  laws  enacted  by  a  Board  of  Supervisors.  The  large 
cities  also  have  their  own  laws  in  addition  to  the  state 
laws. 

California  has  an  excellent  public-school  system.  The 
common  schools  are  divided  into  primary  and  grammar 
grades.  They  are  scattered  throughout  all  portions  of 
the  state,  so  that  almost  every  child  is  within  reach  of  a 
school. 

In  the  cities  and  the  more  thickly  settled  districts 
high  schools  have  been  established.  These  schools 
receive  those  who  wish  to  go  beyond  the  grammar 
school. 

The  next  step  above  the  high  school  is  the  State  Uni- 
versity, which  completes  the  school  system.  Of  equal 
rank  also  is  Leland  Stanford  Jr.  University.  All  these 
schools  are  free.     In  addition  to  the  schools  mentioned, 


100  CALIFORNIA    SUPPLEMENT 

there  are  colleges  and  private  schools  in  various  parts  of 
the  state. 

There  are  the  five  State  Normal  Schools,  situated  at  San 
Francisco,  San  Jose,  Los  Angeles,  Chico,  and  San  Diego. 
The  standard  of  the  schools  is  continually  becoming  higher, 
and  an  increasing  number  of  the  teachers  have  had  normal 
school  or  university  training. 


TOPICAL   SUMMARY 

Physiography  of  the  Cordilleran  Region 

The  Cordilleran  region  includes  several  great  mountain  systems. 
The  Rocky  Mountains  lie  upon  the  east,  and  the  Sierra  Nevada-Cas- 
cade Range  upon  the  west.  They  are  separated  by  an  extended 
plateau  region,  a  large  part  of  which  has  no  outlet  to  the  ocean. 
West  of  the  Sierra  Nevada-Cascade  system  is  a  series  of  large  valleys, 
separated  from  the  Pacific  Ocean  by  another  system  of  mountains 
known  as  the  Coast  Ranges. 

The  Physiography   op   California 

The  three  most  important  mountain  ranges  of  California  are  the 
Sierra  Nevada,  the  Coast  Ranges,  and  the  Sierra  Madre,  the  two 
former  enclosing  the  Great  Valley.  The  mountains  and  valleys 
extend  nearly  parallel  with  the  coast  in  a  southeasterly  and  north- 
westerly direction.  The  Sierra  Nevada  and  the  Sierra  Madre  form 
the  watershed  between  the  Pacific  slope  and  the  Great  Basin. 

The  surface  of  California  is  divided  by  nature  into  a  number  of 
districts  or  provinces,  each  of  which  has  its  peculiar  physiography 
and  resources. 

Origin  of   the  Mountains   and  Valleys   of  California 

Two  agents  are  changing  the  surface  of  the  earth.  One  makes 
mountains  by  folding  or  fracturing  the  crust  or  through  volcanic 
action.  The  other  tears  mountains  down.  It  accomplishes  this 
through  disintegration  of  the  rocks,  and  their  erosion  by  running 
water.  New  mountains  are  steep,  and  have  narrow  valleys  or 
canons.  Old  mountains  have  gentle  slopes  and  broad  valleys  in 
which  streams  flow  slowly.  California  contains  all  these  types  of 
mountains  and  valleys. 


102  CLALIFORXIA   SCPPLEMEyT 


Dkaixage 


Hw  incsnlv  iiiie»  fiotmed  bj  the  cxesi  of  the  Siena  Nevada,  the 
SiHia  Ibdie,  and  Ffemnnla  lai^es,  fonuB  the  divide  between 
the  !Kcific  and  the  interior.  The  main  stieams  are  iqion  the  Facifie 
lor  the  rains  eome  from  the  ocean.  The  most  impoartant  river 
is  the  San  JoaqoiiFSacrainento^  draining  the  Great  Talley 
ammding  moomlains.  It  reacheB  the  ocean  Idiroi^  a  depres- 
I  the  Coast  Bangea.  Hie  inamath  is  the  largest  river  of 
■lifania.  TIk  streams  oeeogpjing  the  valleys  <tf  the  Coast 
Ranges  in  most  eases  flow  notUiweateriy  to  the  ocean. 

MOTEMKSTS     OF    THK    LaKD 


The  chaiaeter  of  the  coast  of  California  has  been  determined  by 
the  positipn  of  the  moonlains  and  a  recent  snbsidenee  of  the  land. 
Only  one  large  river  breaks  through  the  Coast  Ranges,  and  at  the 
wakiiig  of  the  land  tiie  ocean  entoed  its  month,  fraroiii^  the  bay  of 
San  FranrJanou  SmallRr  bs^  were  fanned  at  the  mooflis  of 
streams.  That  the  land  was  once  depraesed  more  than  now  i 
by  the  wave-cot  ternees  along  the  coast. 

ISI.AXD5    AXD    SlTBMA&IXS    PlATEAU 

The  coast  of  Califotnia  is  bordered  by  a  submarine  plateaa,  which 
is  nnmwi  at  tiie  north  but  widens  sonUiward.  From  its  surface  rise 
the  coast  iidand«,  which  are  the  e^osed  portions  of  partaally  sub- 
Bountains.      The  ocean   deepens  rafidfy  ontside    of   the 


ClXMATE 

Tlie  remaifcable  di%ersily  in  the  climate  al  diUKrent  portions  of 
Califamia  is  the  result  more  of  its  rdation  to  the  ocean,  the  position 
and  dirrctinn  of  the  moimtains,  and  devatlon  abore  sea  levd,  than 
of  its  great  extent  of  latitude 

The  tempoatnre  of  the  coastal  region  is  eompaiativdy  unifoim, 
but  with  added  distance  from  the  coast  the  ertremes  beeiMne  greater. 
The  stonns  whiA  pass  over  tiie  stste,  comisg  in  from  tiie  ocean, 
decrease  in  nnnber  and  intensity  from  north  to  sooth,  so  that  while 
iht  northwest  is  very  wet  tlie  sootteast  is  a  desert. 


TOPICAL  SUItMABT  103 

YmesMXJLTiois  asd  Ajtimai,  Life 
Clmiate  alieetB  the  life  erf  both  plaats  an 


climale  will  offien  destroj  tlioae  wludi  eamioi  mignfte,  and  pennik 
othera  to  take  their  plaeea  The  most  of  the  hwger  wild  ^niiw*!*  of 
the  state  hare  iiearfy  disappeaxed  before  the  hunter,  but  laws  mm 
exist  for  their  profteetaaa. 

The  eoniferaos  forests  are  remarkable  for  tiie  Tariefef 
the  trees.  The  forests  oeeopj  a  belt  i^on  the 
their  position  bong  detennined  primanlf  bj the lainfidL  Thijare 
less  dense  and  extensiTe  toward  the  sooth,  bstt  thewcsfem  dope  <tf 
the  SioTS  XevadsrCaacade  Bange,  and  the  Coast  Banges 
Santa  Cmz  northvaid,  are  heaTily  foveated.  Forest 
national  paiks  have  been  estmbiiriied  for  the  proteclian  of  the 
and  the  preservation  of  the  water  si^plj; 


Natuilll  RssouBCBi 


The  diTeratj  of  its  climate  and  the  nature  of  its  phg^sieal  features 
hare  made  California  noted  for  the  vaiielj  of  its  products.  The 
mountains  are  filled  with  minoals.  Their  akpes  are  coveied  with 
forests  and  adapted  to  grazing.  The  TaDeys  are  valuable  for  agii- 
cuhnre^  and  prodoee  eveiy  vaxietf  of  tempente  and  subtropical 
fraitB. 

HisTORT  AXD  IxDusnuAL.  Detelopmkst 

California,  although  discoTered  before  the  middle  of  the 
eentnxj,  loi^  remained  mini  IIIimI  bccanae  of  its  iwniation.  The 
settfers  were  the  CathoKe  miasionaiies  feom  llerim^  who 
missions  in  the  ridi  valleys  near  the  coast.  Other  wiUfiw  came  and 
devoted  themsdves  to  stock-iaisii^.  Life  went  on  quietfy  untfl  18161, 
when  the  province  feU  into  the  poaseasion  of  the  United  States.  In 
1S18  came  the  discovery  of  gold,  and  people  mailed  in  from  all  parts 
of  the  worid.  CaUfomia  was  soon  admitted  as  a  states  Gold-mini^ 
was,  for  a  number  of  yeaxs,  the  chief  occnpatinn.  Then  the 
cl  cattle  and  sheep  increased  in  importance^  and  the  laxge 
began  to  be  devoted  to  grain.  Last  fA  all  the  adaptability  of  the 
countiy  to  a  huge  variety  of  firnits  led  to  firuit-growii^  vdiieh  now 
tiie 


104  CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 


The  Sierra  Nevada  Province 

The  Sierra  Nevada  is  the  highest  and  most  important  range.  The 
eastern  slope  is  abrupt,  the  western  long  and  gentle.  Deep  canons 
have  been  eroded  down  these  slopes,  producing  grand  and  rugged 
scenery.  The  most  remarkable  of  these  canons  is  the  Yosemite 
Valley. 

The  discovery  of  gold  led  to  the  rush  of  miners  into  these  moun- 
tains, and  in  a  few  years  they  took  out  many  hundred  millions  in 
gold.  Placer,  hydraulic,  and  quartz  mining  have  been  followed. 
The  forest  belt  constitutes  an  important  source  of  wealth,  while  the 
foot-hills  are  adapted  to  fruits  and  stock.  The  perennial  streams  are 
used  for  irrigation  and  as  a  source  of  electrical  power.  In  the  sum- 
mer these  mountains  are  much  resorted  to  by  pleasure  and  health 
seekers. 

The  Great  Valley  Province 

The  Great  Valley  includes  the  Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin  val- 
leys. It  is  remarkable  for  its  extent  and  productiveness.  Stock- 
raising  was  the  earliest  occupation.  Then  the  valley  became  a  great 
grain  field.  Later  it  was  discovered  that  a  large  variety  of  fruits, 
including .  oranges,  could  be  grown  to  perfection.  Oranges  ripen 
earlier  than  in  Southern  California. 

-'  Settlements  sprang  up  oil  the  sites  of  Marysville,  S^amento,  and 
Stockton,  because  of  the  advantage  of  these  locations  as  distributing 
points  for  the  mines.  Sacramento  became  the  state  capital  and  chief 
shipping  point.  Redding  is  the  centre  of  copper-mining,  Fresno  of 
the  raisin  industry,  and  Baker sfield  of  an  important  oil-producing 
district. 

The  Province  of  the  Coast  Eanges 

The  Coast  Ranges  lie  between  the  Great  Valley  and  the  ocean. 
The  valleys  are  noted  for  their  agreeable  climate  and  the  variety  of 
their  products.  Large  numbers  of  cattle  are  raised  in  the  foot-hills, 
and  grain  is  grown  in  the  larger  valleys.  Dairying  is  an  important 
industry  near  the  coast,  but  the  one  to  which  most  attention  is  given 
is  fruit-growing.  The  Coast  Ranges  are  also  noted  for  their  redwood 
forests  and  their  production  of  quicksilver. 


TOPICAL   SUMMARY  105 

San  Francisco  is  the  foremost  city  of  the  state  and  coast.  It  is  ad- 
mirably situated  for  commerce.  About  the  bay  are  many  manufac- 
turing establishments.  In  the  adjacent  valleys  are  important  cities 
and  the  leading  institutions  for  higher  learning. 

Southern  California  Province 

Southern  California  includes  that  part  of  the  state  south  of 
Tehachapi.  It  is  shut  off  from  the  other  portions  by  mountains,  but 
several  good  passes  lead  across  them.  The  Sierra  Madre  and  Penin- 
sula ranges  separate  the  highly  cultivated  valleys  upon  the  ocean 
slope  from  the  deserts.  There  are  many  fertile  tracts,  of  which  the 
plain  of  Los  Angeles  is  the  largest.  The  chief  products  are  fruits, 
grain,  honey,  beans,  live  stock,  and  petroleum.  The  most  of  the  citrus 
fruits  are  produced  here,  the  centre  of  the  industry  being  at  Riverside. 
Southern  California  has  become  noted  as  a  pleasure  and  health  resort. 

Province  of  the  Klamath  Mountains 

The  Klamath  Mountains,  although  continuous  with  the  Coast 
Ranges,  yet,  in  their  physiographic  character  and  their  mineral 
resources,  resemble  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains.  Mining  and 
lumbering  are  the  chief  industries.  The  most  important  minerals 
are  gold  and  copper. 

Volcanic  Plateau  Province 

The  plateau  province  includes  the  great  volcanic  peaks,  Shasta  and 
Lassen.  A  broad  forest  belt  stretches  along  the  western  portion,  so 
that  lumbering  is  the  chief  industry.  Agriculture  and  stock-raising 
are  carried  on  in  the  extensive  valleys  which,  toward  the  east,  blend 
into  the  Great  Basin, 

The  Great  Basin  Province 

This  province  includes  one-third  of  the  area  of  California.  It  has 
no  outlet  to  the  ocean,  and  is  traversed  by  many  mountain  ranges, 
between  which  are  desert  valleys  or  sinks.  Some  of  these  are  occu- 
pied by  alkaline  lakes.  The  lowest  land  in  the  United  States  is  in  the 
Colorado  desert.    The  deposits  of  precious  metals  in  the  mountains  are 


106  CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 

of  great  value,  while  borax,  salt,  and  soda  are  found  in  the  beds  of 
the  ancient  lakes.  Agriculture  and  stock-raising  are  carried  on  where 
there  is  water  for  irrigation. 

Mining 

Mining  must  always  be  one  of  the  leading  industries  of  California. 
Gold  is  obtained  chiefly  from  the  older  rocks  of  the  Sierra  Nevada, 
Klamath  Mountains,  and  various  ranges  of  the  Great  Basin.  The 
Mother  Lode  is  the  most  important  mineral  zone.  Copper  is  mined 
most  extensively  in  the  Klamath  Mountains,  although  there  are  other 
deposits  throughout  the  gold  belt.  Petroleum  and  its  products,  such 
as  asphaltum  and  bituminous  rock,  are  found  throughout  the  Coast 
Ranges,  the  southern  portion  of  the  San  Joaquin  Valley,  and  in 
Ventura,  Los  Angeles,  and  Orange  counties.  California  is  the  only 
state  producing  asphaltum  and  bituminous  rock  in  any  great  quantity. 

Stock-raising 

Through  the  increase  of  population  and  the  establishment  of  the 
forest  reserves  the  stock  ranges  have  been  much  reduced  in  area. 
Stock-raising  was  almost  the  only  industry  of  Spanish  California,  but 
reached  its  greatest  development  previous  to  the  introduction  of  fruit- 
growing on  an  extensive  scale.  Sheep  were  pastured  throughout  all 
the  mountains,  while  the  cattle  were  raised  more  particularly  in  the 
Coast  Ranges.  Although  California  still  produces  a  large  amount  of 
wool  and  mutton,  much  of  the  beef  consumed  is  raised  outside  of  the 
state.  Tehama  and  Mendocino  counties  rank  first  in  the  production 
of  wool. 

Agriculture 

Agriculture  in  California  has  been  characterized  by  the  holding  of 
land  in  large  tracts  called  ranches.  These  are  often  devoted  to  a 
single  product,  such  as  grain,  for  the  sowing  and  harvesting  of  which 
the  most  improved  machinery  is  used.  The  grains  grown  are  chiefly 
wheat,  barley,  and  oats.  These  are  produced  in  all  parts,  but  the 
Great  Valley  is  the  most  important  source.  Wheat  and  barley  are 
often  cut  for  hay.  Alfalfa,  raised  upon  the  moist  lowlands  or  those 
that  can  be  irrigated,  is  much  used  for  hay.  Grain  is  not  usually 
irrigated,  and  in  dry  years  the  production,  in  many  places,  is  light. 


TOPICAL  SUMMARY  107 

Irrigation  is  necessary  for  growing  most  vegetables  and  berries 
except  upon  some  bottom  lands.  The  most  of  these  products  which 
are  shipped  out  of  the  state  come  from  the  central  portion.  Beans  are 
an  important  crop  in  the  southern  coast  counties.  California  is  the 
second  greatest  honey-producing  state.  Hops  are  mainly  grown 
north  of  San  Francisco. 

Irrigation 

Irrigation  is  the  artificial  watering  of  the  land.  Portions  of  the 
state  have  a  very  uncertain  rainfall  and  a  semi-arid  climate.  These 
produce  certain  and  abundant  crops  when  irrigated.  The  use  of 
water  has  caused  a  complete  transformation  in  the  appearance  of 
Southern  California,  making  possible  the  thousands  of  acres  of  orange 
groves.  Irrigation  has  not  been  employed  as  much  in  central  and 
northern  California  because  of  greater  rainfall,  but  wherever  it  has 
been  tried,  the  lands  have  been  found  to  bring  forth  much  more 
abundantly.  Note  upon  the  rainfall  map  the  areas  where  the  pre- 
cipitation is  twenty  inches  or  less.  These  in  particular  need  irri- 
gation. 

FRtJIT-RAISING 

Fruit-raising  has  become  the  leading  industry.  Nearly  all  parts  of 
the  state  are  adapted  to  fruit  of  one  kind  or  another.  The  greatest 
number  of  acres  are  planted  to  grapes.  In  the  Coast  Ranges  the 
grapes  are  either  sold  fresh  or  made  into  wine.  In  the  dry,  hot  valleys 
of  the  interior  the  raisin  grape  is  grown.  California  produces  practi- 
cally all  the  raisins  made  in  the  United  States. 

Prunes  are  more  widely  cultivated  than  any  other  fruit.  The 
centre  of  this  industry  is  in  the  valleys  about  San  Francisco  Bay, 
particularly  the  Santa  Clara  Valley. 

Peaches  come  next  in  importance.  They  do  well  in  the  foot-hills 
and  higher  portions  of  the  warm  valleys. 

The  orange  is  the  standard  fruit  of  Southern  California.  Thou- 
sands of  car-loads  are  shipped  from  the  state  every  year.  The  indus- 
try developed  first  about  Riverside,  but  recently  oranges  have  been 
found  to  do  well  along  the  eastern  side  of  the  Great  Valley  as  far 
north  as  Tehama  County  and  in  Sonoma  County.  The  number  of 
lemon  trees  is  much  less  than  of  orange.  The  lemon  does  not  need 
as  hot  a  climate. 


108  CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 

The  most  of  the  apricots  grown  in  the  United  States  are  produced 
in  California. 

The  almond  and  walnut  do  well  in  nearly  all  the  valleys  of  the 
state.  The  fig  and  olive  require  a  warm  climate  to  come  to  perfection. 
The  olive  is  not  found  much  in  the  United  States  outside  of  Cali- 
fornia. Apples  do  best  in  the  mountains  and  cool  valleys  near  the 
coast. 

Dairying 

Dairying  is  carried  on  throughout  all  portions  of  the  state.  The 
coast  is,  however,  the  leading  dairy  section.  The  conditions  are 
especially  favorable  from  San  Luis  Obispo  to  Humboldt  Bay.  The 
climate  is  cool,  the  grasses  remain  green  longer  than  in  the  interior, 
and  the  coast  steamers  offer  a  convenient  means  of  getting  the  prod- 
ucts to  market. 

Lumbering 

The  forests  most  important  for  lumbering  occupy  a  belt  many  miles 
wide  along  the  western  slope  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains,  the 
Cascade  Range,  and  the  northern  Coast  Ranges.  The  trees  of  impor- 
tance are  the  Sequoia,  yellow  pine,  sugar  pine,  cedar,  spruce,  and 
fir.  Much  of  the  forest  area  has  been  injured  by  fires  and  careless 
lumbering.  Steps  have  been  taken  to  secure  the  preservation  of 
portions  of  the  remaining  forest. 

Fisheries 

The  most  of  the  streams  of  California  are  stocked  with  fish.  Those 
in  the  Sacramento  River  are  commercially  the  most  valuable.  The 
coast  fisheries  are  important  but  not  greatly  developed. 

Manufacturing 

As  a  result  of  the  high  price  of  fuel  and  labor,  manufacturing  has 
not  developed  in  proportion  to  other  occupations.  The  transmission  of 
electric  power  from  the  streams  of  the  mountains  and  the  abundance 
of  petroleum  will  aid  this  industry.  The  most  important  manu- 
facturing plants  are  located  about  the  shores  of  San  Francisco  Bay 
and  the  Strait  of  Carquinez.  In  shipbuilding  and  the  making  of 
mining  machinery  California  particularly  excels. 


TOPICAL  SUMMARY  109 

Commerce 

California,  with  the  fine  harbor  of  San  Francisco  almost  in  the 
middle  of  its  coast  line,  and  with  valleys  and  waterways  branching 
away  inland  from  this  harbor,  must  remain  the  greatest  commercial 
centre  upon  the  Pacific  coast  of  the  United  States.  Los  Angeles 
ranks  next  to  San  Francisco  as  a  trade  centre.  San  Diego  has  a 
harbor  which  must  bring  to  it  an  important  foreign  trade. 

Winter  and  Health  Resorts 

California  has  become  noted  for  its  mild  and  healthful  climate  and 
grand  scenery.  Many  thousands  of  visitors  spend  the  winters  at  its 
chief  resorts,  Monterey,  Santa  Barbara,  Pasadena,  and  San  Diego. 
Through  the  Coast  Ranges  there  are  many  medicinal  springs  of  wide 
reputation.  The  valleys  and  canons  of  the  high  Sierra  Nevada  offer 
ideal  conditions  for  summer  rest  and  recreation. 

Suggestions 

You  will  find  in  the  neighborhood  of  your  home,  or  within  walking 
distance  of  the  schoolhouse,  illustrations  of  many  geographic  facts, 
and  if  you  can  understand  them,  the  geography  of  your  state  and  of 
the  world  will  mean  much  more  to  you. 

Study  the  action  of  water  in  shaping  the  physical  features.  Ex- 
amine some  stream  during  dry  weather,  and  make  a  written  descrip- 
tion of  how  its  bed  appears.  Then  during  or  just  after  a  rain  examine 
it  again  and  note  the  work  the  water  is  doing.  You  will  find  that  it 
is  removing  particles  of  soil,  digging  little  cuts  and  carrying  the 
material  somewhere  else.  What  does  it  finally  do  with  this  material  ? 
This  will  lead  to  an  understanding  of  how  the  canons  and  valleys  are 
made,  as  well  as  the  alluvial  bottom  lands. 

Find  a  bank  and  study  the  soil,  and  be  able  to  tell  what  difference 
it  shows  between  the  top  and  bottom.  Find  a  piece  of  crumbling 
rock  which  will  sometime  make  soil.  How  does  it  differ  from  a 
piece  of  fresh  rock?    What  made  the  change? 

Find  from  observation  if  there  is  any  difference  in  temperature 
between  the  mountain  and  the  valley,  and  if  elevation,  amount  of 
sunshine  and  rainfall  affects  the  distribution  of  the  plants.  Study 
the  weather  before  a  storm  and  after  a  storm. 


110  CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 

If  your  home  is  in  a  town  or  city,  find  out  when  people  first  settled 
there,  and  the  reasons  for  their  coming,  -what  is  making  the  place 
grow  now,  what  the  productions  of  the  surrounding  country  are, 
whether  trade  or  manufacturing  is  the  leading  occupation,  and  why. 

If  you  live  in  the  country,  tell  what  the  people  are  engaged  in.  Is 
the  region  adapted  to  mining  or  stock-raising,  or  agriculture  or  fruit- 
growing? Describe  the  location  of  the  nearest  country  store  and  tell 
why  it  was  placed  where  it  is.  What  goods  are  imported  and  what 
raw  products  exported  ?    How  are  they  carried  ? 

Maps  and  Pictures  and  Books 

Excellent  topographic  maps  have  been  prepared  by  the  United  States 
Geological  Survey  which  cover  a  large  portion  of  the  state.  These 
show  all  the  features  of  the  land  and  water,  and  location  of  roads  and. 
houses.     On  many  of  them  the  rock  formations  have  been  indicated. 

There  ought  to  be  a  collection  of  these  maps  in  every  school,  and 
the  pupils  should  be  instructed  in  using  them.     They  can  be  bought 
Af  for  five  cents  each  at  Washington.     Schools  near  the  coast  should 
have  a  copy  of  one  of  the  coast  charts  covering  the  region. 

Photographs  illustrating  the  physiography  and  the  leading  indus- 
tries can  be  easily  obtained.  These  are  of  the  greatest  importance  in 
bringing  distinctly  before  the  pupil  scenes  and  places  which  he  has 
not  visited. 

Books  dealing  with  early  explorations,  and  life  in  the  mines,  should  be 
at  hand  so  that  the  pupils  may  become  intelligent  upon  those  interesting 
and  remarkable  events  of  the  pioneer  days.  Stories  about  the  origin 
and  meaning  of  the  striking  scenery  of  the  state  would  be  of  great  value. 

The  following  are  some  of  the  books  which  should  be  read  or  used 
for  reference  in  connection  with  the  study  of  the  state  :  — 
Two  Years  before  the  Mast,  Dana.  Stories   of    Rocks  and    Minerals, 
Life  of  Fremont.  *       Fairbanks. 

History  of  California,  Royce.  Mount  Shasta,  A  Typical  Volcano, 

The  Desert,  Van  Dyke.  Diller. 

Ramona,  Helen  Hunt  Jackson.        Mountains  ot  California,  Muir. 
Stories  of  Our  Mother  Earth.  Our  National  Parks,  Muir. 

Stories  of  California,  Sexton.  Pacific  History  Stories,  Wagner. 

The  Great  Salt  Lake  Trail.  Oregon  and  California,  Thornton. 

California  and  the  Missions.  What  I  saw  in  California,  Bryant. 


TOPICAL   SUMMARY  111 

General   Questions 

1.  Describe  the  main  features  of  the  Cordilleran  region.  2.  AVhat 
is  meant  by  the  Great  Basin?  3.  What  would  liappen  in  the  Great 
Basin  if  the  rainfall  should  be  greatly  increased?  4.  Describe  the 
leading  features  of  relief  of  California  as  they  are  shown  upon  the 
relief  map.  5.  Why  do  we  study  the  state  by  provinces  ?  6.  What  are 
the  important  river  systems  ?  7.  What  is  the  most  important  water- 
shed? Describe  the  drainage  from  it.  8.  California  contains  types 
of  all  kinds  of  mountains  found  upon  the  earth.  What  are  they  ?  9.  In 
what  ways  are  valleys  formed  ?  Give  examples.  10.  What  would  be  the 
nature  of  the  coast  line  if  the  mountains  extended  at  right  angles  to 
it?  11.  If  California  should  sink  one  thousand  feet,  what  changes  do 
you  think  would  take  place  in  its  geography  ?  Would  your  home  be 
submerged  by  the  ocean  ?  12.  If  the  land  should  rise,  how  would  it 
affect  San  Francisco  harbor?  13.  Tell  something  about  the  islands. 
How  were  they  formed?  14.  What  are  the  chief  things  which  affect 
the  climate  of  California?  15.  On  which  side  of  the  mountain  ranges 
does  it  rain  the  most,  and  why?  16.  Where  is  the  climate  most  uni- 
form? 17.  What  part  of  the  state  receives  the  least  rain?  Why? 
18.  Tell  about  the  climates  which  you  would  pass  through  in  going 
in  the  summer  from  the  Great  Valley  to  the  summit  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada.  19.  How  would  the  vegetation  change?  What  trees  of 
value  for  lumber  would  you  see  ?  20.  Are  the  animals  that  we  meet 
to-day  like  those  living  a  long  time  ago  ?  21.  What  do  you  suppose 
caused  the  animals  whose  fossil  bones  we  find  in  the  gravel  or  soil 
to  disappear?  22.  Why  do  people  destroy  animals?  What  means 
have  been  taken  for  their  preservation?  23.  What  is  the  object  of 
establishing  forest  reserves?  24.  Why  does  California  have  such  a 
variety  of  natural  resources  ?  Mention  the  important  ones.  25.  Was 
California  entered  first  from  the  land  or  from  the  water?  W^hy  do 
you  suppose  San  Francisco  Bay  remained  so  long  undiscovered  ? 
26.  What  natural  barriers  exist  betw^een  California  and  the  other 
portions  of  America?  Were  these  as  easy  to  cross  in  the  early  days 
as  now?  Why?  27.  Tell  about  the  life  and  occupations  of  Cali- 
fornians  under  Mexican  rule.  28.  Mention  the  leading  missions. 
If  you  have  seen  one,  describe  it.  29.  When  did  California  come 
under  the  control  of  the  Americans?  What  were  then  the  two  lead- 
ing towns?    30.  Why  did  not  Monterey  become   a  city  after  the 


112  CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 

American  occupation  ?  31.  How  much  of  a  town  was  San  Francisco 
in  1846  ?  32.  What  led  to  the  rapid  increase  of  the  population  of  Cali- 
fornia after  its  conquest  from  Mexico?  33.  What  led  San  Francisco 
to  become  the  most  important  city  of  the  state  ?  34.  In  what  por- 
tions of  the  state  is  the  most  of  the  gold  obtained  ?  35.  Describe  any 
kind  of  mining  that  you  have  seen  carried  on.  36.  Explain  the 
difference  between  placer,  hydraulic,  and  quartz  mining.  37.  How 
did  the  pioneer  gold  seekers  reach  the  state  ?  What  difficulties  did 
they  encounter  ?  Mention  the  different  trails  by  which  they  entered 
the  state.  38.  What  portion  of  the  state  was  occupied  by  the  Spanish 
at  the  time  of  the  gold  discovery?  Why?  39.  Who  introduced  fruit- 
growing into  the  state?  40.  What  conditions  made  it  profitable  to 
grow  fruit  upon  a  large  scale?  How  is  it  shipped  away  to  market? 
41.  Why  was  stock-raising  so  profitable?  42.  Tell  what  you  know 
about  the  raising  and  pasturing  of  sheep.  43.  What  grains  are  grown 
in  California ?  In  what  way  are  they  mostly  exported?  Why? 
44.  In  what  way  are  people  enabled  to  grow  fruit  and  other  products 
where  little  rain  falls  ?  45.  Tell  what  is  meant  by  citrus  fruits,  by 
deciduous  fruit,  by  viticulture.  46.  If  there  were  no  high  moun- 
tains how  would  the  water  supply  be  affected  ?  47.  What  helps  to 
hold  the  water  upon  the  slopes  where  it  falls  ?  Why  ?  48.  Describe 
the  process  of  irrigation.  What  advantage  have  irrigated  crops  over 
those  dependent  upon  the  rainfall?  49.  What  are  the  important  fruits 
shipped  out  of  the  state?  Where  do  they  mostly  go?  50.  Why 
were  supplies  of  all  kinds  so  high  priced  following  the  discovery  of 
gold?  51.  Can  you  illustrate  how  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains  were 
formed  ?  52.  Tell  how  mountains  are  being  torn  down.  53.  What 
agency  formed  the  most  of  the  lakes  in  California?  54.  Tell  some- 
thing about  the  origin  of  the  canons  in  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains. 
55.  Watch  the  work  of  water  upon  a  slope  during  a  rain,  and  tell  what 
it  does.  56.  What  governs  the  distribution  of  the  forests?  For  what 
are  the  coniferous  forests  of  California  remarkable  ?  What  is  meant 
by  coniferous  ?  57.  What  is  the  most  important  occupation  in  the 
Sierra  Nevada  Mountains  ?  Mention  others.  Why  do  people  go  into 
the  mountains  in  the  summer?  58.  Mention  the  national  parks  in 
California.  Why  were  they  established?  59.  What  were  the  causes 
which  determined  the  locations  of  the  chief  cities  of  the  Great  Valley? 
60.  How  is  the  water  power  in  the  mountains  utilized?    Why  are  not 


TOPICAL   SUMMARY  113 

manufacturing  establishments  located  in  the  mountains?  61.  How 
does  the  climate  of  the  Great  Valley  differ  from  that  of  the  coast  ? 
Why?  What  part  of  the  valley  is  adapted  to  oranges?  62.  How  are 
raisins  made  ?  What  kind  of  climate  is  needed  ?  63.  Where  are  most 
of  the  vegetables  of  the  Great  Valley  grown  ?  Why?  64.  Where  are 
the  conditions  most  advantageous  for  dairying?  Why?  65.  What 
mineral  abundant  in  the  Coast  Kanges  is  hardly  found  elsewhere  in 
the  United  States  ?  66.  Where  are  the  great  copper  mines  ?  Mention 
some  of  the  uses  of  copper.  67.  Describe  the  most  important  uses  of 
redwood.  Tell  something  about  this  tree.  68.  In  what  manner  are 
the  logs  taken  to  mill,  and  the  lumber  from  the  mills  to  market? 
69.  Why  is  stock-raising  the  most  important  industry  of  the  volcanic 
plateau  ?  Where  is  the  climate  of  California  the  coldest  ?  The  hottest  ? 
Why?  70.  How  are  volcanoes  formed?  What  are  the  most  impor- 
tant ones  in  California?  If  you  have  ever  seen  lava,  describe  its 
appearance.  71.  What  is  pumice?  Obsidian?  For  what  was  the 
latter  used  by  the  Indians  ?  72.  By  what  mountains  is  Southern  Cali- 
fornia shut  off  from  the  rest  of  the  state  ?  73.  How  did  the  railroads 
cross  these  mountains?  74.  Tell  what  you  can  about  the  contrast 
between  Southern  California  and  the  Great  Basin.  75.  Mention  some 
of  the  products  and  climatic  conditions  which  have  made  Southern 
California  so  noted.  76.  Tell  what  you  can  find  out  about  petroleum. 
What  products  are  obtained  in  refining  it  ?  77.  Describe  the  value  of 
mountains,  of  waste  slopes  around  the  mountains,  and  of  the  river 
bottoms.     78.  What  is  bituminous  rock,  and  for  what  is  it  used? 

79.  Describe  the  best  harbor  upon  the  coast  of  Southern  California. 

80.  What  has  made  Los  Angeles  the  largest  city  in  Southern  Cali- 
fornia? 81.  Describe  the  conditions  of  the  streams  in  summer  in 
Southern  California.  82.  What  is  the  difference  between  an  ordinary 
well  and  an  artesian  well?  83.  How  were  the  important  mountains 
of  Southern  California  formed?  84.  Describe  the  kind  of  climate 
and  location   best   for   oranges,   for   apples,   for  alfalfa,   for  beans. 

85.  In  what  part  of  California  is  the  most  honey  produced  ?    Why  ? 

86.  Why  do  you  suppose  there  are  so  few  lakes  in  the  mountains  of 
Southern  California  ?  87.  W^hat  is  a  cloudburst  ?  What  is  its  effect 
upon  the  mountains?  Where  are  the  lowest  valleys  in  California?  Tell 
about  their  climate.  88.  What  is  the  nature  of  the  water  of  lakes 
without  outlet?    Why?    89.  How  are  salt  and  soda  obtained  from 


114 


CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 


the  waters  of  the  lakes  or  sinks  in  California  ?  90.  In  what  portions 
of  the  desert  are  borax  and  salt  found?  91.  What  is  rock  salt? 
92.  What  other  minerals  are  found  in  the  desert?  93.  Tell  what  you 
can  about  the  vegetation  of  the  desert.  Mention  some  of  the  impor- 
tant plants  found  there. 

VALUE   OF  THE  LEADING   MINERAL   PRODUCTS  OF 
CALIFORNIA,    1900 

Clay  products,  $966,166. 


Quicksilver,  $1,182,785. 
Silver,  $1,510,344. 

Petroleum,  $4,152,928. 
Copper,  $4,748,242. 


Gold,  $15,863,355. 


APPROXIMATE   VALUE   OF  THE   LEADING  PRODUCTS   OF 
CALIFORNIA,    1900 


Beans,  $1,890,000. 
Beet  sugar,  $1,920,000. 
Potatoes,  $2,788,000. 
Wool,  $3,600,000. 

Lumber,  $6,520,000. 

Dairy  products,  $12,430,000. 


Barley,  $14,856,110. 


Wheat,  $16,555,000. 


Hay,  $22,071,594. 


Total  mineral  products,  $32,523,000. 


Total  fruit  products,  $35,000,000. 


TOPICAL   SUMMARY 


115 


POPULATION  OF  CALIFORNIA,    1850  TO   1900 


Increase 

Population 

Number 

Per  cent 

1900 

1,485,053 

276,923 

22.9 

1890 

1,208,130 

343,436 

39.7 

1880 

864,694 

304,447 

54.3 

1870 

560,247 

180,253 

47.4 

1860 

379,994 

287,397 

310.3 

1850 

92,597 

— 

— 

CITIES   AND  TOWNS   OF  2000  OR   MORE   PEOPLE 
CENSUS  OF   1900 

Alameda  city 16,464 

Auburn  city 1,456 

Bakersfield  city      ....  4,836 

Benicia  city 2,751 

Berkeley  towu 13,214 

Chico  city 2,640 

Eureka  city 7,327 

Fresno  city 12,470 

Grass  Valley  city   ....  4,719 

Ilanfordcity 2,929 

Long  Beach  city     ....  2,252 

Los  Angeles  city     ....  102,479 

Marysville  city 3,497 

Modesto  city 2,024 

Napa  city 4,036 

Nevada  city  town  ....  3,250 

Oakland  city 66,960 

Pasadena  city 9,117 

Petaluma  city 3,871 

Pomona  city 5,526 

Red  Bluff  city 2,750 

Redding  city 2,946 

Redlandscity 4,797 


Riverside  city     .     . 

7,973 

Sacramento  city     . 

29,282 

Salinas  city   .    .    . 

3,304 

San  Bernardino  city 

6,150 

San  Diego  city  .    . 

17,700 

San  Francisco  city 

342,782 

San  Jos6  city     .     . 

21,500 

San  Leandro  town 

2,253 

San  Luis  Obispo  city 

3,021 

San  Rafael  city 

3,879 

Santa  Ana  city  .     . 

4,933 

Santa  Barbara  city 

6,587 

Santa  Clara  town  . 

3,650 

Santa  Craz  city      . 

5,659 

Santa  Monica  city . 

3,057 

Santa  Rosa  city      . 

6,673 

Stockton  city     .     . 

17,506 

Tulare  city     .     .     . 

2,216 

Vallejo  city   .    .    . 

7,965 

Ventura  city      .     . 

2,470 

Visaliacity    .     .     . 

3,085 

Watsonville  city     . 

3,528 

Woodland  city  .    . 

2,886 

116 


CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 


HEIGHTS   OF  SOME   OF  THE  IMPORTANT  MOUNTAIN  PEAKS 


SIERRA    NEVADA   AND   CASCADE    RANGE 


Mount  Whitney     ....  14,522 

"      Williamson     .    .    .  14,448 

"      Jordan 14,275 

Kaweah  Peak 14,140 

Mount  Tyndall 14,101 

"      Darwin 14,100 

"      Brewer 13,886 


Mount  Goddard 
"      Ritter 
"      Lyell . 
"      Dana . 
Pyramid  Peak 
Mount  Shasta 
Lassen  Peak 


13,550 
13,070 
13,042 
12,992 
10,020 
14,380 
10,437 


Haeckel 13,850    White  Mt.  Peak  (Great  Basin)  14,200 


SOUTHERN   CALIFORNIA 


Grizzly  Peak      .     .     . 
Mount  San  Jacinto     . 

"      San  Bernardino 
San  Antonio  Peak 
Mount  Pinos .... 


11,723 

10,805 

10,100 

9,935 

9,214 


Cucamonga  Peak  .  . 
Cuyamaca  Peak  .  . 
San  Gabriel  Peak  .  . 
Santiago  Peak  .  .  . 
Santa  Catalina  Island 


8,529 
6,500 
6,152 
5,682 
2,109 


COAST   RANGES 


Mount  Linn 8,604 

Tally  Bally 7,485 

San  Lucia  Peak,  about  .     .  6,600 

Mount  St.  Helena  ....  4,343 

"      Konocti 4,246 


Mount  Hamilton    .    . 

"      Diablo    .    .    . 

"  Bielowski  .  . 
Santa  Ynez  Mountains 
Mount  Tamalpais  .    . 


4,209 
3,849 
'3,269 
3,358 
2,604 


KLAMATH    MOUNTAINS 


Thompson's  Peak  ....      9,345 

Mount  Eddy 9,131 

"      Scott 7,856 


Bully  Choop 
Mount  Bally 


7,073 
6,246 


THE  LARGER  LAKES  OF  CALIFORNIA 


Tahoe, 
Clear  Lake, 
Rhett  Lake, 
Goose  Lake, 


Owens  Lake, 
Honey  Lake, 
Lake  Elsinore, 
Donner  Lake. 


TOPICAL  SUMMARY 


117 


THE   COUNTIES   OF  CALIFORNIA 


County 

Area  in  Sq.  Miles 

Population  in  1900 

County  Seat 

Alameda  .... 

737 

130,197 

Oakland 

Alpine .     . 

835 

509 

Markleeville 

Amador    . 

650 

11,116 

Jackson 

Butte  .     . 

1,777 

17,117 

Oroville 

Calaveras . 

1,043 

11,200 

San  Andreas 

Colusa .     . 

1,150 

7,364 

Colusa 

Contra  Costa 

765 

18,046 

Martinez 

Del  Norte^ 

1,545 

2,408 

Crescent  City 

Eldorado  . 

1,797 

8,986 

Placerville 

Fresno 

5,940 

37,862 

Fresno 

Glenn  .     . 

1,248 

5,150 

Willows 

Humboldt 

3,507 

27,104 

Eureka 

Inyo     .     . 

10,224 

4,377 

Independence 

Kern    .     . 

8,159 

16,480 

Bakersfield 

Kings  .     . 

1,267 

9,871 

Hanford 

Lake    .    . 

1,100 

6,017 

Lakeport 

Lassen .    . 

4,750 

4,511 

Susanville 

Los  Angeles 

4,000 

170,298 

Los  Angeles 

Madera     . 

2,100 

6,364 

Madera 

Marin  .     . 

509 

15,702 

San  Rafael 

Mariposa  . 

1,543 

4,720 

Mariposa 

Mendocino 

3,815 

20,416 

Ukiah 

Merced     . 

1,967 

9,215 

Merced 

Modoc .     . 

4,297 

5,076 

Alturas 

Mono  .     . 

2,796 

2,167 

Bridgeport 

Monterey . 

3,452 

19,380 

Salinas 

Napa    .     . 

789 

16,451 

Napa  City 

Nevada     . 

958 

17,789 

Nevada  City 

Orange      . 

780 

19,696 

Santa  Ana 

Placer  .     . 

1,386 

15,786 

Auburn 

Plumas     . 

2,671 

4,657 

Quincy 

Riverside  . 

7,008 

17,897 

Riverside 

Sacramento 

968 

45,915 

Sacramento 

San  Benito 

1,056 

6,633 

HoUister 

San  Bernardino 

21,555 

27,929 

San  Bernardino 

118 


CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 


THE  COUNTIES  OF   CALIFORNIA  {continued) 


County 

Area  in  Sq.  Miles 

Population  in  1900 

County  Seat 

San  Diego     .     .     . 

8,400 

35,090 

San  Diego 

San  Francisco 

42 

342,782 

San  Francisco 

San  Joaquin . 

1,364 

35,452 

Stockton 

San  Luis  Obispc 

3,500 

16,637 

San  Luis  Obispo 

San  Mateo     . 

467 

12,094 

Redwood  City 

Santa  Barbara 

2,450 

18,934 

Santa  Barbara 

Santa  Clara  . 

1,750 

60,216 

San  Jose 

Santa  Cruz    . 

437 

21,512 

Santa  Cruz 

Shasta .     .     . 

3,906 

17,318 

Redding 

Sierra  .     .     . 

781 

4,017 

Downieville 

Siskiyou  .     . 

6,078 

16,962 

Yreka 

Solano       .     . 

911 

24,143 

Fairfield 

Sonoma    .     . 

1,562 

38,480 

Santa  Rosa 

Stanislaus      . 

1,138 

9,550 

Modesto 

Sutter  .     .     . 

611 

5,886 

Yuba  City 

Tehama    .     .     . 

3,125 

10,996 

Red  Bluff 

Trinity     .     .     . 

2,625 

4,383 

Weaverville 

Tulare.     .     .     . 

4,935 

18,375 

Visalia 

Tuolumne 

2,211 

11,166 

Sonora 

Ventura   .     .     . 

1,850 

14,367 

Ventura 

Yolo     .... 

1,017 

13,618 

Woodland 

Yuba   .... 

625 

8,620 

Marysville 

GEOGRAPHICAL  NAMES 


Geographical  names  in  California  are  derived  mainly  from  three 
sources :  Spanish,  Indian,  and  English.  In  the  calendar  of  the  early 
missionaries  each  day  was  sacred  to  one  of  the  saints,  and  so  they  named 
new  places  according  to  the  name  of  the  saint  on  wbose  day  the  places 
were  reached  or  discovered. 

The  names  of  the  male  saints  begin  with  san,  of  the  female  with  santa. 
Thus  we  have  the  following  names. 

Key  to  Pronunciation: — fate,  far,  final,  me,  met,  her,  pine,  pin, 
firm,  note,  not,  food. 


TOPICAL   SUMMARY 


119 


San  Benito                       san  ba-nee'to 

St.  Benedict 

San  Bernardino                  " 

b6r-nar-dee'no 

St.  Bernard 

San  Bruno                          " 

broo'no 

St.  Bruno 

San  Buenaventura             " 

bwa-na-v6n-t6o'ra 

St.  Bonaventure 

San  Carlos                          " 

kar'loce 

St.  Charles 

San  Diego                          " 

de-a'go 

St.  James 

San  Francisco                    " 

fran-sis'ko 

St.  Francis 

San  Gabriel                        " 

ga-bre-el' 

St.  Gabriel 

San  Joaquin                       " 

wah-keen' 

St.  Joachim 

San  Jose                             " 

ho-sa' 

St.  Joseph 

San  Juan                            " 

hoo-an^ 

St.  John 

San  Leandro                      " 

la-an'dro 

St.  Leander 

San  Lucas                           " 

loo'kas 

St.  Luke 

San  Luis  Obispo                " 

loo'ees  o-bees'po 

St.  Louis  Bishop 

San  Luis  Key                     " 

Iw'ees  ra 

St.  Louis  King 

San  Mateo                          " 

nia-ta'o 

St.  Matthew 

San  Miguel                          " 

me-gh61' 

St.  Michael 

San  Rafael                         " 

ra-fa'el 

St.  Raphael 

Santa  Ana                      sSn'ta  &'n& 

St.  Ann 

Santa  Barbara                     ' 

'      bar'ba-ra 

St.  Barbara 

Santa  Catalina                     ' 

'      ka-ta-lee'na 

St.  Catherine 

Santa  Clara                         ' 

kla'ra 

St.  Clara 

Santa  Cruz                           ' 

kroos 

Holy  Cross 

Santa  Inez                            ' 

'      e-n6s' 

St.  Agnes 

Santa  Isabel                         ' 

e-sa-bel' 

St.  Elizabeth 

Santa  Lucia                         ' 

'      loo-che'a 

St.  Lucy 

Santa  Margarita                  ' 

mar-ga-ree'ta 

St.  Margaret 

Santa  Maria                         ' 

ma-ree'a 

St.  Mary 

Santa  Paula                         ' 

'      pow'la 

St.  Pauline 

Santa  Rosa                          ' 

ro'za 

St.  Rose 

Many  places  were  named  from  some  characteristic  feature  or  in- 
cident :  — 


Agua  Fria 
Alameda 
Alcatraz 
Almadan 
Arroyo  Seco 
Arroyo  Grande 


a'gwa  free 'a 
a-la-ma'da 
al'ka-tras 
al-ma-d6n' 
ar-ro'yo  sa'ko 
ar-ro'yo  gran'da 


Cold  water 

Poplar  grove,  public  walk 

Pelican 

The  mine 

Dry  creek 

Large  creek 


120 


CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 


Benicia 

be-nish'i-a 

Venice 

Buena  Vista 

bwa'na  ves'ta 

Good  view 

Calaveras 

kal-a-va'ras 

Skulls 

Caliente 

ka.l6-an'te 

Hot 

Carquinez 

kar-kee'nez 

Carpenteria 

kar-pen-ta-ree'a 

Carpenter  shop 

Cazadero 

caz-a-da'ro 

Place  for  pursuing  game 

Cerritos 

cer-ree'toce 

Little  hills 

Cienega 

se-a'na-ga 

Marsh 

Colorado 

kol-o-rah'do 

Red 

Contra  Costa 

con'tra  cos'ta 

Opposite  coast 

Coyote 

ko-yo'ta 

A  species  of  wolf 

Del  Norte 

d61  nor'ta 

Of  the  north 

El  Dorado 

el  do-rah'do 

Golden  land 

El  Toro 

el  to'ro 

The  bull 

Escondido 

es-kon-dee'do 

.  Hidden 

Earralones 

far-ra-lon'es 

Points  of  rock  in  the  sea 

Fresno 

fres'no 

Ash  tree 

Gabilan 

ga-ve-lan' 

Sparrow  hawk 

Guadalupe 

gwa-da-loo'pa 

Wolf  river 

La  Jolla 

la  ho 'yah 

The  jewel 

Lobos 

lo'boce 

Wolves 

Los  Angeles 

loce  an'jg-16s 

The  angels 

Los  Gatos 

loce  ga'tos 

The  cats 

Los  Olivos 

loce  ol-e'voce 

The  olive  trees 

Manzanita 

man-sa-nee'tah 

Little  apple 

Mariposa 

mar-e-po'sah 

Butterfly 

Merced 

mer-sad' 

Mercy 

Milpitas 

mil-pee'tas 

Meadow 

Monte  Diablo 

mon'ta  de-a'blo 

Devil  mountain 

Monterey 

mon-ta-ra' 

King's  mountain  or  King 

Pajaro 

pa'ha-ro 

Bird 

Palo  Alto 

pa'lo  al'to 

Tall  tree 

Paraiso 

pa-ra-ee'so 

Paradise 

Paso  Robles 

pa'so  ro'bl6s 

Oak  pass 

Pescadero 

pes-ka^da'ro 

Fishmonger 

Pinole 

pe-no'la 

A  fermented  drink 

Placer 

plas'er 

Gold-bearing  gravel 

Plaza 

pla'za 

Public  square 

Plumas 

plu'mas 

Feathers 

TOPICAL   SUMMARY 


121 


Presidio 

pra-see'de-o 

Garrison 

Punta  Arenas 

pun'ta  a-ra'nas 

Sandy  point 

Puente 

poo-€n'ta 

Bridge 

Sacramento 

sa-kra-men'to 

The  Sacrament 

Salinas 

sa-lee'nas 

Salt  Places 

Sierra  Nevada 

se-6r'ra  na-va'da 

Snowy  range 

Solano 

so-la'no 

East  wind 

Soledad 

sol-a-dad' 

A  desert 

Sonora 

so-no'rah 

Zither 

Tejon 

ta-hon' 

Badger 

Tres  Pinos 

tres  pee'noce 

Three  pines 

Tulare 

too-la'ra 

Place  covered  with  tules 

Ventura 

ven-too'ra 

Venture,  risk 

The  following  names  were  derived  from  the  old  Spanish  families  :  — 

Alvarado 

al-va-rah'do 

Alviso 

al-ve'zo 

Arguello 

ar-gwa'lo 

Amador 

a-ma-dor' 

Bodega 

bo-da'ga 

Castroville 

kas'tro-vil 

Chico 

chee'ko 

Coronado 

cor-o-nah'do 

Martinez 

mar-tee 'n6z 

Mendocino 

men-do-see'no 

Pacheco 

pa-cha'ko 

Sunol 

soon-yol' 

Vacaville 

va'ka-vil 

Vallejo 
The  following  an 

e  some  of  the  manj 

val-la'ho 
r  Indian  names.    The  most  of 

them  are  names  of  tribes. 

Colusa  co-loo'sah 

Cuyama  ki-a'ma 

Klamath  kla'math 

Inyo  in'yo 

Marin  ma-reen' 

Mohave  mo-ha'va 

Mokelumne  mo-k61'oum-ne 

Mono  mo'no 


An  Indian  chief 


122 


CALIFORNIA   SUPPLEMENT 


Petaluma 

p6t-al6o'md 

Sequoia 

se-quoi'ah 

Name  of  a  Cherokee  chief 

Shasta 

shas'ta 

Stone  house,  cave 

Siskiyou 

sis'ke-you 

Sonoma 

so-no'mah 

Valley  of  the  moon 

Soquel 

so-kel' 

Stanislaus 

sta-nis-16w' 

An  Indian  chief 

Suisun 

soo-e'soon 

Tahoe 

ta-ho' 

Tehachapi 

te-hach'e-pa 

Valley  of  the  oaks 

Temescal 

tem'es-kal 

A  sweatbox 

Tomales 

to-ma'les 

Tuolumne 

twol'um-ne 

Yolo 

yo'lo 

Rush-covered  marsh 

Yosemite 

yo-sem'i-te 

Yreka 

wi-re'ka 

White,  Indian  name  of 

Yuba 

yu'ba 

Mt.  Shasta 

The  name  Tamalpais  is  a  compound  of  Indian  and  Spanish.  Tamal 
was  the  name  of  a  tribe  of  Indians  and  pais  is  the  Spanish  for  country  ; 
hence  —  the  country  of  the  Tamal  Indians. 

The  Spanish  names  are  chiefly  confined  to  the  Coast  Ranges  and  the 
southern  part  of  the  state.  The  names  in  the  Sierra  Nevada  and  Klamath 
Mountains  and  the  Great  Valley  were  mostly  given  after  the  Americans 
came. 

Among  the  places  named  for  Americans  are  :  Stockton,  Sutter,  Kern, 
Lassen,  Murphy,  Angel,  Carson,  Downie,  Weaver,  Heald,  Folsom,  Gilroy, 
Hollister,  Humboldt,  Fremont,  and  others.  These  men  were  either  early 
residents  of  the  state  or  explorers. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 
BERKELEY 

Return  to  desk  from  which  borrowed. 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


JAN     6    194P 


APRS  0  1956  LU 

LD  21-100m-9,'47(A5702sl6)476 


I3Jan'5SMfff 
REC'D  LD 

DEC  28  1957 


,^msk- 


10  28249 


2217:^  i> 


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